Notes on This Issue       Editor       2009



     New Church Life

     A monthly magazine devoted to the teachings revealed through Emanuel Swedenborg

     January 2009


     New Church Life

     A MONTHLY MAGAZINE DEVOTED TO THE TEACHINGS
     REVEALED THROUGH EMANUEL SWEDENBORG

The Temple of the New Church
     A Sermon
          Grant R. Schnarr 3

The Baptism of the New Church, Part III
     Howard Roth 7

Gifts from the Lord
     Coleman Glenn 14

Academy Collections of Swedenborg Documents
     Marvin B. Clymer 18

A Letter from Swedenborg
     Marvin B. Clymer 26

Skalde-Bref, till Assessor Svedenborg 31

Editorial
     Renewal 35

Church News
     Ordination Photographs     41
     The Journey into the New Year
          Lydia Boericke 43

Announcements 46

     
Weeping at the Sound of an Angel Voice
     A Sermon
          Donald L. Rose 51

Loving the Lord
     Daniel W. Heinrichs 57

Nunc Licet
     A Stage Play
          Arthur Greisiger 68

Editorials
     What Happened in 1688?     75
     1758 and the Earths in the Universe      78

Review
     There is an Answer 87

Communications
     A Reply to "Men and Women in the Ministry"     89

Announcements      91

Being Raised from the Dead
     A Sermon
          Kurt Horigan Asplundh 95

Church: A Personal Exploration
     Janet Briggs 101

Influenced
     Richard Linquist 109

Editorial:
     Judas 111

Book Review
     Goran Appelgren 118

Church News
     Confession of Faith
          Nathan Cole 121
     Eldergarten
          Forrest Dristy 123
     Announcing the President of Bryn Athyn College 126
     Olivet New Church School 128

Announcements 129

Lessons from the Lord's Childhood
     A Sermon
          Lawson M. Smith      135
Memorial to Geoffrey Childs
     Walter E. Orthwein 142
Science and Religion
     Justin Soderberg 151
Editorial: The Lord Our Savior 158
Communications
     Reply to "Atheism, No Proof of God"
          Julie Conaron 163
Book Review
     Ron Schnarr 165
Do's and Don'ts of Religion
     Ryan M. Sandstrom 167
Greeting Others About the New Church
     Robert Cole 169
Announcements      171

Trust
     A Sermon
          Ragnar Boyesen 175

Correspondence, Origins, Causes and Uses of Disease
     Fredrik Bryntessson 183

The Kingdom of Heaven
     Peter M. Buss, Jr. 194

The Editors of New Church Life 200

Editorial Pages
     How Does the New Church Increase     204
     No Try-Out for Evil 204
     There is no Fatalism     205
     There is No Predestination     206
     How Easily the Lord Leads to This or That Heaven     207

Announcements 215

For the Former Things have Passed Away
     A Sermon
          Goran Appelgren 219

The New Church
     David Roth 229

How We Look to Angels
     Donald L. Rose 232

Heaven or Hell? It's Our Choice
     Chandra Hall 237

Editorial Pages
     What is the Point of the New Church 241
     No Intercession by Prayer 244

Hope
     Wystan Simons 257

Announcements 260


The Church, the Mother of All Living
     A Sermon
          Robert S. Junge      266

Address to Bryn Athyn College
     Kristin King      275

The Love of One's Country
     Charis Cole      279

Declarations of Faith and Purpose
     Mark Allais     282
     James Barry      283
     Robert Cooper      284
     Coleman Glenn      285
     Thane Glenn      286

Editorial Pages
     The Crowded Street      288

Communications
     A Reply to "Correspondence, Origins...Of Disease"
          Heulwen Ridgway 293
     A Reply to New Church Connection
          Martin L. Klein 295
     In Regards to the Academy
          V.C. Odhner 297

The Academy of the New Church 2009?2010 Calendar     299

Announcements      302

Got Holy Spirit?
     A Sermon
          Martie Johnson, Jr. 306

Interview with the Rev. Donald L. Rose
     Carina Heinrichs 313

The Bright Lady
     Landon Synnestvedt 317

A Brief History of the New Church
     Richard Linquist 322

Editorial Pages
     An Ancient Custom: Discussing Doctrine       324

Communications A Response to "Hope"
     Bob Heinrichs 331

Announcement from Bishop Kline 335

Church News Church
     News from Kenya
          Erik J. Buss 337
     Smiles from Miles, Kenya
          Isaac Synnestvedt 340
     Outreach Journey Program     342

Announcements     343

Loving the Lord
     A Sermon
          Brian W. Keith 351

I Have a Dream
     Ragnar Boyesen 359

Whom Can We Trust?
     Norman E. Riley 369

Editorial Pages
     The Religious Experience 372

Church News
     Report of Trip to West Africa
          Brian W. Keith 383

Announcements 393

Tithing
     A Sermon
          Thomas L. Kline 399

Tearing Down High Places
     E. Kent Rogers 403

Revelation, Part One
     Andrew M. T. Dibb 416

Editorial Pages
     The Word of Heaven: Do We See What Angels See?      425

Mark Twain on Heaven
     Carl Th. Odhner 433

Places of Worship      435

Announcements      442

The Inner Bond
     A Sermon
          Douglas M. Taylor 447

The Hours and Years We Spend in Sleep
     Donald L. Rose 455

Revelation: Part Two
     Andrew M. T. Dibb 465

Editorial Pages
     Thanksgiving: An Ancient-Church Practice      475

Church News

Dedication of the Science Building
     Gregory L. Baker 480

General Church Schools Directory      483

Annual Report of the Secretary of the General Church      488

Announcements      494

Rejoice! The Lord is With You
     A Sermon
          J. Clark Echols 499

Revelation: Part 3
     Andrew M. T. Dibb 506

Editorial Pages
     Expecting the Advent: the Longest Tradition      515

Directory of the General Church 2009-2010      519

Announcements      537

     NEW CHURCH LIFE (USPS 378-180)
     PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY
     THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
     The Rev. Dr. Erik E. Sandstrom, Editor

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     SUBSCRIPTION: $16.00 to any address. SINGLE COPY $1.50
     

     Postmaster: send address changes to: New Church Life, PO Box 711, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009

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     Periodicals postage paid at Bryn Athyn, PA 19009 and at additional mailing offices
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     Our Sermon welcomes back Rev. Grant R. Schnarr in a concentrated look at the meaning of the Nunc Licet Temple. There is at least one thing we can all do to help the New Church succeed.

     The series on Baptism continues with Part III, by Howard Roth, an experientially focused doctrinal study on the subtle distinctions between being baptized in the New Church, or not.

     "Gifts from the Lord" welcomes Theolog Coleman Glenn, who volunteered to serve the Hurstville Society in Sydney last summer. His editorial in the July '08 Courier is here reprinted for everyone's appreciation. In the New Year we think about the unwanted ideas floating into our minds, what we need to do about it and what the Lord then gives.

     What are the "Green Books"? Most will say the green set of the Writings. Others lay their finger along the nose and wisely nod: "Ah, the ACSD files!" Yes, the Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents have new life. Be astonished as Marvin Clymer informs you of their history, and their 2009 instant availability.

     In the vein of Swedenborg's Birthday month, Clymer also submitted Swedenborg's own autobiographical letter to remind you that Swedenborg did talk about his own bio. This was last printed in New Church Life in 1902, - remember?

     A poem honoring Swedenborg composed in 1815, found a few years back in the above ADCS files, is here translated into English rhyme for the first time. I kind of like it.

     Please take note of Church News, the pictures of 7 new ministers of the General Church, inaugurated last summer, from Ghana and Togo, as reported in September New Church Life, 2008, together with their declarations of faith. Be prepared to welcome them when you see them.

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TEMPLE OF THE NEW CHURCH 2009

TEMPLE OF THE NEW CHURCH       Rev. Grant R. SCHNARR       2009


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     A Sermon in Preparation for Holy Communion

     The Lord had promised His disciples that there would come a time when the Spirit of Truth would teach people openly and guide them "into all truth" (John 16:13). This promise was fulfilled at the inauguration of a New Church on earth brought forth by the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem. Through the teachings of the Heavenly Doctrines a new spiritual era descended upon the earth, an era in which people could now see the Lord in His Word, understand Him, and also follow a path to Him clearly set out before them.

     The beautiful temple Swedenborg was given to see in the spiritual world is symbolic of this "new and glorious heavenly truth" now unfolded in the New Church. As Swedenborg approached the magnificent building he noted the transparent walls made of crystal windows and a gate of pearl, similar in substance to the description of the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse. The transparent walls represent the crystal clear truths of the Heavenly Doctrines, which allow one to see inside even from a distance, to behold the light of the Word. We are reminded that the Lord is the light of that city, and that this light will even shine far and wide, even reaching those who dwell in darkness, "A light to bring revelation to the gentiles" (Luke 3:32). We are told that, "Those outside the church who do not have the Word, nevertheless have light by its means," and that, "it is sufficient that there be a church where the Word is, even if it consists of comparatively few, for even in that case the Lord is present by its means in the whole world" (Sacred Scripture 104).

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This is possible because the church will know the Lord Jesus Christ to be the one God of heaven and earth, and from this knowledge bourn accordingly into life, the Lord reaches out to all His people. It is more than noteworthy to point out that the gates of pearl, both in this holy temple witnessed by Swedenborg and those of the Holy City New Jerusalem represent knowledge of the Lord. That means people enter the New Church when they acknowledge the Lord Jesus Christ as their God and Savior, one God, one Creator, one Savior of the world - thus the gates are each made of not many but rather one pearl.

     Inside this temple we see the Word set on a platform or pulpit. This Word is open and is shining so brightly that it is lighting up the entire temple. Notice the Word is open on the pulpit standing to the side. The pulpit signifies the priesthood of the New Church. The light coming from the open Word is said to be the revelation of the internal or spiritual sense of the Word. This is the light of the New Church, opening up the deeper mysteries once hidden, so they may be seen in light. These truths are to be explained by rational means, using the letter of the Word in its own light for confirmation, opening the window into the heavens and making the way clear for people to approach the Lord. (See True Christian Religion 508:5) The teaching of the deeper meaning of the stories of the Word, revealing how these stories and all the literal aspects of the Word have direct application to individual lives, is the calling and mission of the New Church priesthood represented in this Holy Temple. This is where people can come to a church and hear the Word like nowhere else, revealing truths not apart from the Word but lying deep within, not simply making shallow comparisons but bringing forth deeply valuable significations and correspondences of things not heard and seen since Ancient and Most Ancient times.

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     In the center of the temple is an open veil, signifying the opening of the Word, revealing a shrine, which is said to be that place where heaven and earth meet, or the promise that this New Church will lead to heaven and conjunction with the Lord. A golden cherub brandishes a sword in all directions at this place signifying the literal sense of the Word, and the protection it still offers. This sense protects the inner sense, meaning that it may be twisted and turned in different directions by people trying to see the light within, but as long as people focus on the general truths of the Word in so doing, no hard will come of it. In other words, people are going to look at the Word in a variety of different ways, but as long as there is an acknowledgment of the universal truths, such as the doctrine of the Lord, the Word, and Life, this brings no harm.

     Finally, in this description, Swedenborg notes the inscription over the door of the temple - "Now it is Permitted", and he is handed a piece of paper by a celestial angel explaining it, "From now on enter into the mysteries of the Word which have so far been hidden: for each one of its truths is a mirror in which we see the Lord" (True Christian Religion 508). Isn't that the heart of what the New Church offers? Now it is possible to understand. Now things which have been hidden for so long are being revealed, each of them a reflection of the Lord Himself. This is the Second Coming, the revelation of the Lord Himself through the opening of the inner meaning of His Word. This is the essence of the church. This is the Lord's plan for the church. This is the way He desires for His church to know Him, to understand His Word, and this is how He desires to spread His newly revealed truth to all people. How do we know this? Because this is what the Word says.

     In order to fulfill this great vision each one of us who have been touched by it need to start at the beginning. Our understanding of the Word counts. The doctrinal integrity of the church, meaning the depth of understanding of the people in the Lord's New Church is what allows that light to shine transparent.

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The church and the people are one. The church is only a church according to its understanding of the Word and integrity of doctrine, and then a life there-from (Sacred Scripture 76-79). If you want to help the church, explore deeply what the Writings teach. If you want to share the church, share what the Writings teach. If you love this image of the temple and wish to be part of this heavenly city, live what the Writings teach. This is the responsibility of all who have been given the opportunity to enter this temple and to explore this Holy City.

     At the end of the work Apocalypse Revealed the Writings tell us that it is the role of anyone who knows of these things, "that he who knows anything of the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and the New Church, thus of the Lord's kingdom, will pray that it may come" (#956). As we turn to the Lord in His supper this morning, let us pray that His Kingdom come. We pray that He enters our hearts as we dedicate ourselves to learning ever more deeply the truths of His revelation, and that He enter our lives as we seek to live by His ways. We pray that His kingdom may come to all people, that His truth may shine forth into the deepest recesses of the earth, and bring light to those who huddle in the darkness, dispelling fear, bringing hope, lifting into the light and warmth of heaven. Amen.

Lessons: Isaiah 9:1-2; John 16:12-16; True Christian Religion 508

The Rev. Grant R. Schnarr, was inaugurated into the priesthood in 1983, and ordained into the Pastoral degree in 1984. He served as Assistant to the Pastor in Glenview from 1983 to 1985, when he was made Assistant Pastor there, also visiting the Chicago New Church and groups elsewhere in Illinois. In 1988 he became the Pastor of the Chicago Circle, the well known "No Exit" venue. In 1991 he added the role of Director of Evangelization, working from Glenview.

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In 1995 Grant took the role of Director of Evangelization to Bryn Athyn, Pa. until 2004, when he became Assistant Pastor to Bryn Athyn Society. In July 2009, Grant will be the first Pastor of NewChurchLive, the internet television ministry. Grant lives with Cathlin (Cole) in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

[Photograph of Rev. Grant Schnarr.]
BAPTISM OF THE NEW CHURCH 2009

BAPTISM OF THE NEW CHURCH       HOWARD ROTH       2009


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     Part III

     The importance of the baptism into the New Church of those who have been previously baptized elsewhere, appears to us to arise out of what the 'Writings' teach about the necessity to order of distinct arrangement: - "In the spiritual world, by which we mean both heaven and hell, all things are most distinctly arranged, in the whole, and in every part, or in general, and in every particular. On the distinct arrangement there, the preservation of the whole universe depends; and this distinction cannot be effected, unless every one, after he is born, be known by some sign, indicating to what religious assembly he belongs..."

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     "What is order without distinction?, and what is distinction without indications?, and what are indications without signs, by which the qualities are known? For without knowledge of the qualities, order is not known as order. The signs or signatures in empires and in kingdoms are titles of dignities and rights of administration annexed to them; thence are subordinations, by means of which all are arranged together as into one: in this manner a king exercises, according to order, his regal power distributed among many, whence a kingdom becomes a kingdom. The case is similar in very many other things, as in armies: what avail would they have unless they were distinguished in an orderly manner into phalanxes, these into cohorts, and these into companies; and subordinate leaders were appointed over each, and one over all, who is supreme? And what would those arrangements be without the signs, which are called standards, to show in what station every one is to be? By such means all act in battle as one, and without them they would rush against the enemy, like troops of dogs with open mouths, howling and empty fury; and then all without strength would be cut to pieces by an enemy arranged in the proper order of battle; for what can the divided do against the united? By these things is illustrated this first use of baptism, which is a sign in the spiritual world that he is of Christians, where everyone is inserted among societies and congregations there according to the quality of the Christianity in him or without him" (The Christian Religion #678, 680).

     The whole tenor of this indicates the necessity of more particular distinctions than those most general ones between Christians, Mohammedans, and Gentiles.

     Cannot every intelligent person see, that the form of understanding and of life, of one who in heart receives the doctrines of the New Church, and the truths of the internal sense of the Word, is very different from that of him who merely understands and brings into life truths as they are presented in the obscurity of the letter?

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Can anyone doubt that they who live the life which is opened to the New Church by the revelation of the doctrines, and the disclosing of the spiritual sense of the Word, are, in heaven, distinguished from Christians who have made here no practical use of this revelation? The whole tenor of the 'Writings' teachings shows the importance of corresponding distinctions on earth. It seems clear that the sign of a most important distinction will be wanting in heaven, if a man who has been baptized elsewhere, is not, on coming into the New Church, baptized into it.

     It may perhaps be doubted whether the administration of baptism in the New Church - the form being essentially the same there as elsewhere - can have any particular significance. But it cannot be doubted that it has. The Writings clearly show, that it is perceived by the angels, whether the men with whom they are associated receive the internal sense of the Word, or merely the external sense.

     Hence, when baptism is administered, as well as when it is read of in the Word, the angels present perceive whether the spiritual or the natural sense is received. When baptism is administered by a Christian minister, whose mind, as well as that of the person baptized, the angels perceive not to be elevated above the letter, it is a sign to them of introduction among angels whose life corresponds; and when they perceive in the minister and the person baptized the recognition of the spiritual sense, a corresponding spiritual association is effected. Thus is one inserted into societies of heaven according to the quality of the Christianity in him; or, in the case of children, according to the quality of the Christianity in which they are to be instructed, and into which there is a desire to lead them. If we apply the instructions from the 'Writings' upon the importance of distinct arrangement in heaven and the Church, to the matter before us, as the Writings apply them, the conclusion seems unavoidable, that baptism into the New Church, in case one has been previously baptized, is of very great use.

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If a Christian infant or adult that has not been baptized, is liable to be influenced by a Mohammedan or Gentile spirit to favor his religion, why should not the New Church child or adult, that has received Christian baptism, and not baptism into the New Church, be influenced to regard with favor the religious doctrines and practices of Christians that are unacquainted with the New Church doctrines of the Lord and other genuine truths, and that have no knowledge and acknowledgement of the internal sense of the Scriptures, and of the life that it teaches? For our part, we should expect that such consequences would follow the omission of baptism into the New Church; and our observation furnished us with what appears as very strong confirmation of this view.

     We notice in persons not baptized into the New Church, whom we highly esteem, and who are in a general acknowledgement of the New Church and its doctrine, a lack of clear apprehension of the peculiarity of its spirit and life, together with a confounding of the New and Old together.

     And it is important to a right conception of the spirit of the New Church, that children and adults should, by being baptized into this Church on earth, be inserted among those of the same religion in the spiritual world, this is even more emphatically important in the case of ministers of the New Church. These certainly ought not to confound things new and old. There ought to be, in the case of these, the least possible liability to be turned aside to other than strictly New Church religion, charity, faith and life. They who are to guide the faith and life of others, ought to omit nothing which is calculated to help them into right conceptions and feelings. There are good men of all religions. There are not only good Christians, but good Muslims and good men of the various Gentile religions; and all good men, of whatever religion, enter heaven and become angels.

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     Now it is not necessary that a child, or a well-disposed man, should be baptized, in order to be associated with heaven. It is necessary, however, in order that one on earth may be in his proper place in heaven, where all are most distinctly arranged according to their religion, that there should be some sign on earth, by which it may be known in what religion he is, and is to be instructed. Christian angels and Muslim angels are very different from one another. They are so different that they must needs constitute different societies; and though they are all united in the one great heaven, they are distinctly separate from each other. If there were not some sign on earth by which Christian infants and men could be distinguished in heaven, they might come into connection with some other than the Christian heaven. These simple and plain deductions from the teachings of the Writings, confirmed by observation and experience, seem to us entirely conclusive of the usefulness and importance of the baptism into the New Church, of all those who receive its doctrines, even if they have been previously baptized into some denomination of Christians.

     But it does not appear to be the case, that the very general adoption of the practice of baptism into the New Church among us, has arisen so much from an intellectual conviction that it is a thing of Divine order, as from a deep feeling, as it were, a dictate from Heaven, flowing into a sense of the need of aid from above, in removing from ourselves the obstacles to the reception of the high and holy principles revealed to us, and in bringing them into life. There is a very general impression, that where there is a new church or dispensation, there should be a new baptism. And finally, from a personal conviction, as one who converted to the Doctrines of the New Church from one of the sects of the Reformed Church as an adult, who was thoroughly distraught and in the deepest spiritual anguish and confusion over the incomprehensible, and nonsensical doctrine of the Tri-person, or three gods in one, where Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were approached as separate entities, and yet to be considered as one.

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It was only when in a state of utter despair and confusion that in a state of total prostration before the 'Lord God of Heaven and earth', when He was implored to grant me a clear understanding of His Being and Majesty - that (by a series of wondrous events) He led me to (at that time in 1957) at the tender age of 28 to what was known as 'Leary's' book store on east Market Street in Philadelphia, whose origins dated back to the days of Benjamin Franklin - to the very top floor attic, while browsing, my eyes came upon a set of books entitled - The Apocalypse Revealed - by Emanuel Swedenborg. Inquiring further as to their price and never glancing at its contents, was informed that for $1.50 they would gift wrap it (in brown paper) to which I agreed and took them home, put them on my night table, unopened, where they remained for the next three months. Coincidentally also, it was a continuing period of intense personal strife and emotional turmoil (all involving my inner states of spiritual uncertainty and discord). In a moment of quiet reflection I recalled those two books purchased at Leary's months before. I opened them and carefully reviewed the table of contents and fell on my knees in deep prayer to the Lord and besought His help in aiding me to perceive if there was anything of 'good' contained in those works, and began thereafter in a dedicated study of a work I was later to find out was an explanation and revelation of the inner/spiritual sense of the Book of Revelation.

     My daily occupation at that time was in heavy work of 12 hour days, 6 days a week and the only time to read was on lunch breaks or 15 minutes before crashing into my bed at night. But I persisted - and many months passed before its completion and my utter profound amazement at which had been revealed to me!

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     I was convinced (at that time) that no religious system of belief that I had just been exposed to could exist in this foul and corrupt world - it was just too good to believe, it must have existed ages ago and disappeared from this black earth!

     I put it out of mind and wiped away tears of grief and lament over the non-realization of what I saw as the perfect religion which was not to be.

     A year passed and on an early fall day my wife and I were out for a leisurely drive in an area of the northern Philadelphia suburbs when glancing to my left at an opening through the hillside, a majestic Cathedral spire took my eye and I was hypnotized at the sight. I tried desperately to find a road leading to it but became lost in a deeply wooded glen and struggled for quite a time to find my way out. But that day was lost to my new excitement, and two more tries resulted in success when on the third effort I drove into a paved courtyard of a massive cathedral, parked and walked about and coming to a portal or porte?coch?re, came up to a massive set of doors of intricate design and a beautifully carved panel with the 'NAME' - The General Church of the New Jerusalem - based upon the 'Writings' of Emanuel Swedenborg, servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. It hit as a bolt of lightning! He was the author of the two books entitled "The Apocalypse Revealed." This was the church that I had convinced myself did no longer or could not possibly exist in a world with so many false and misleading religions! - Trembling from head to toe, I opened the door and met the most kind and endearing elderly gentleman who introduced himself as the curator, Mr. Will Cooper.

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After an hour of babbling my experience to him he introduced me to one of the church ministers and now as I write this recollection more than 50 years have passed and my love for the 'Writings' (all thirty volumes) and the Word Itself have increased from day to day in gratitude to the Infinite loving and caring God, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. - Here in this religion, for me, all of my questions (and there were many), have been answered to my complete and everlasting satisfaction, and the internal sense of the Word which is the Second Coming of the Lord where 'He' has opened the spiritual sense of the Word which is so very far beyond the literal interpretation of the Bible which has poisoned and misled countless millions of Christians in false teachings contrived by the hands of self-seeking church leaders who could not receive those deeper hidden treasures as the time was not yet. Now it is permitted, and the Lord Himself is the teacher and revelator. No longer will men be able to interpret for themselves that Holy Divine Word, and only a humble and sincere mind and heart, in Love to the One, only God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who is one with the Supreme Divine Father, and from Whom emanates the Holy Spirit.

     It is One God with emanating powers - they are not and cannot ever be separate Divine entities! He alone is our guide and teacher, It is 'He' who enlightens and prepares each mind according to reception! The more we search and study the three?fold Word of God, the more the Lord can open and prepare our minds to increased reception of Good and Truth from His Word. It stands to reason that the Lord is the living Word with us, He is in it, - and from Him we live and have our being! This is the Second Coming of the Lord - the three fold Word of God is now opened as to its internal - spiritual sense, and we are no longer subjected to meaningless literalizing that close Heaven to our understanding. This is the reality and promise of the New Church on earth for all who seek the Lord in spirit and in Truth. It is that "Peace which passeth all understanding." It is the Blessing of the New Baptism for all who hunger after righteousness, and desire to be instructed by the Lord. Oh taste and see, that the Lord is good!

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GIFTS FROM THE LORD 2009

GIFTS FROM THE LORD       THEOLOG COLEMAN GLENN       2009


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      (Reprinted from Sydney Hurstville Society's July Courier, while Coleman was serving the pastoral needs there and in Australia during the summer.)

     We often say that the Lord gives us gifts. This of course is true; the Lord gives us talents and abilities, knowledge and delight, wisdom and love, and the chance to live to eternity. It would be foolish to deny that the Lord gives us gifts. But there is an important point about the Lord's gifts to us that we need to keep in mind. Divine Providence n. 316 says, "All who are led by the Lord ... even see that what is in man originating from the Lord is always the Lord's and never man's." This is a profound statement about the Lord's gifts with us. Even the good things which we call "gifts" from the Lord are actually still the Lord's; they have not become our own; rather, they are continually being loaned to us by the Lord.

     Thinking of the Lord's gifts this way is a valuable tool for letting go of pride. It is one thing to say, "My intelligence is a gift from the Lord," or, "My compassion is a gift from the Lord"

     - but it is another to acknowledge that even these things are not in us. The Lord has not given us intelligence and made it our own; rather, He is continually allowing us to understand through His intelligence, which He allows us to experience as if it were our own. It is a humbling thought, but also a freeing thought.

     The truth that we have nothing of our own is, in fact, one of the most freeing thoughts there is. Divine Providence n. 320 states, "If man believed, as is the truth, that all good and truth originate from the Lord, and all evil and falsity from hell, he would not appropriate good to himself and account it meritorious, nor would he appropriate evil to himself and account himself responsible for it." I find this truth to be one of the most powerful truths in the Writings. We can do what is good and not ruin that good by taking credit for it. We do not have to blame ourselves for the evil that assaults us.

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     However, immediate objections spring to mind as soon as I hear this truth. New Jerusalem and its Heavenly Doctrine n. 160, for example, says, "Confessing one's sins is recognizing evils and seeing them in oneself, acknowledging them, considering oneself guilty and condemning oneself on account of them." How is this consistent with acknowledging that all evil is from hell and not considering oneself responsible for evil? At first glance, these two teachings are hard to reconcile. If we look closer, though, it is not too hard to see how these two truths can be consistent.

     In the context of self-examination, we need to acknowledge that we have evil intentions - that is, that there are evil things we would do if we had the chance. We need to make ourselves guilty and condemn ourselves for it, or in other words, we need to face the fact that we have been choosing these things, or that we would choose them; and we need to acknowledge that if we do not remove them from our lives, they will take us to hell. But we also need to acknowledge that the evil ideas and affections did not originate with us. If an evil thought enters our mind, it is more useful and true to say, "That thought is from hell, and I do not want it in my mind," than to consider that evil thought to be a permanent part of who we are, part of our character that we cannot change. We can hold ourselves guilty for intending sin, but still acknowledge that the inclination to sin and the thoughts associated with it are not a part of us, but are from hell.

     There is another powerful implication of this teaching. The last number in the chapter, Divine Providence n. 321, says, "So far as anyone shuns evil and turns away from it so far he wills and loves good." The same number says that those who believe that all evil is from hell pay attention only to the evils in themselves, which they shun and send back to hell. The point is this: because all life flows into us from either heaven or hell, if we shun evil then good necessarily flows into us.

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We do not need to worry about what good to do or try to force ourselves to be good; if we shun evils, then we will want to do what is good, and it will give us delight. Apocalypse Explained n. 979 expresses this truth:

     Good works are all works done by a person when evils have been removed as sins. For the works done after this are done from man only as if from him; for they are done from the Lord, and all works done from the Lord are good, and are called the goods of life, the goods of charity, and good works... Cease, therefore, from asking in yourself, 'What are the good works that I must do, or what good must I do to receive eternal life?' Only cease from evils as sins and look to the Lord, and the Lord will teach and lead you.

     This double teaching - that all good is from the Lord, and that all evil is from hell - frees us from pride in ourselves, and it frees us from guilt for evil thoughts that enter our mind. It's a perfect illustration of what the Lord taught when He was in the world: "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."

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ACADEMY COLLECTION OF SWEDENBORG DOCUMENTS 2009

ACADEMY COLLECTION OF SWEDENBORG DOCUMENTS       MARVIN B. CLYMER       2009


----------
     Researchers looking for information about Emanuel Swedenborg now have a substantial resource available for their use. The Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents includes most of the known documents, correspondence and records relating to the life of Swedenborg, arranged in chronological order. The result of over 235 years of careful collecting and painstaking research, this collection is available once again to individuals and scholars around the world via the Internet.

     Shortly after Swedenborg embarked on his final journey into the spiritual world on March 29, 1772, the question arose about what to do with his earthly possessions, since he had ignored suggestions to prepare a will. In London, where he had been living, his signet ring and some other valuables were gathered up and sent along with some papers and clothing back to Sweden in case any of his relatives wanted them. The remaining items were given to various friends. A bundle of letters to Swedenborg from Voltaire, Rousseau and others was not considered worth saving and was tossed into the fire! When the box of Swedenborg's effects arrived in Stockholm two of his heirs, who were bishops in the Swedish Church, tried to have his papers burned as trash. Providentially, the Swedenborg family decided to donate Swedenborg's manuscripts, diaries and papers to the Royal Academy of Science, after removing certain pages from the diaries which described his earliest dreams.

[Paining of August Nordenskjold.]

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The manuscripts given to the Academy included The Spiritual Diary and Apocalypse Explained, which had not been published.1

     Two early Swedenborgians in Stockholm, August and Carl Fredrik Nordenskjold2 (who were brothers), felt that if the Writings of Swedenborg were Divinely inspired it was essential to preserve for posterity everything written by him. August obtained permission from the Academy to catalogue and bind the loose documents at his own expense. In 1783 Carl took some of the manuscripts to London where they could be printed without the religious censorship present at that time in Sweden.

     [Photograph of Dr. Rudolph H. Tafel.]

     Other followers of Swedenborg saw the need to record the facts of his life to dispel false accusations of immorality and insanity that had been circulated by detractors who sought to discredit his theological writings. As the teachings of the New Church spread throughout Europe and the New World, the number of Swedenborgians grew and these hostile attacks on Swedenborg's credibility increased at the same time.

     Based on the recommendation of William H. Benade, the General Convention of the New Church in America sent Dr. Rudolph L. Tafel to Sweden in 1868 to produce photolithographic3 copies of Swedenborg's unpublished manuscripts. While on this mission, Tafel discovered other documents relating to Swedenborg in the Royal Academy of Sciences and he seized the opportunity to learn what documentary evidence still existed in Sweden at that time.

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The Royal Librarian in Stockholm, Mr. C. E. Klemming, assisted him in his search by inserting a circular in all the prominent Swedish newspapers and sending notices to many collectors and booksellers throughout the country requesting information concerning Swedenborg. The result was a large collection of documents about Swedenborg that had been unknown to New Church scholars. After translating and organizing these documents, Tafel published many of them in a three volume set entitled, Documents Concerning The Life And Character Of Emanuel Swedenborg in 1875 and 1877. These books have provided the foundation of what we know about Swedenborg today.4

[Photograph of Alfred H. Stroh.]

     As the 19th century gave way to the 20th century the role of science became increasingly important in shaping the world. That prominence led to the formation of the Swedenborg Scientific Association in 1898 for "The preservation, translation, publication and distribution of the Scientific and Philosophical works of Emanuel Swedenborg."5 [Photograph of Cyriel O. Sigstdt.] A young teacher at the Academy of the New Church, Alfred Acton, felt the need for more complete information about Swedenborg's work as a scientist and philosopher. He proposed that copies be made of all of Swedenborg's scientific manuscripts. As a result, a young scholar by the name of Alfred H. Stroh was sent to Sweden in 1902 to produce a phototype6 edition of the Spiritual Diary. Like Tafel before him, Stroh uncovered many unknown documents about Swedenborg and became committed to preserving them for posterity.

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His discoveries included Swedenborg's activities during his school days at Upsala University, some early poems including one that Swedenborg wrote in honor of King Charles XII of Sweden, the offer of a professorship at Upsala University and a letter referring to his marriage proposal to the daughter of a bishop. In 1909 Stroh was joined by Sigrid Cyriel Odhner7 who helped him combine his results with the work of other scholars, such as Rev. Eugene J. E. Schreck, Rev. Carl Theophilus Odhner, James Hyde in England and G. F. Lindh in Stockholm.8. The source of each document was carefully described and then they were arranged in time sequence which became the Chronological List of Swedenborgiana.9

     The outbreak of World War I and Alfred Stroh's failing health brought the project to a halt until 1924 when the librarian at the Academy of the New Church in Bryn Athyn, Rev. Reginald Brown, arranged the material that had been collected up to that time in six large folio volumes with green covers which became known as "The Green Books." From the beginning of his research, Mr. Stroh had attempted to obtain photographic copies or transcripts of as many documents as possible. In 1925 it was estimated that over 1900 pages still needed to be copied or photographed. So later that year Cyriel Odhner returned to Stockholm to continue the work. By the end of her visit she had gathered over 3,000 pages of transcripts and photographic copies for the collection.10

[Photograph of Dr. Alfred Acton.]

     From his ordination in 1893 until his death in 1956, Dr. Alfred Acton was the primary force driving the research into the life of Swedenborg.

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He used the documents collected by Alfred Stroh and Cyriel Odhner Sigstedt as the basis for The Letters and Memorials of Emanuel Swedenborg, a two volume set published in 1948 and 1955. Dr. Acton continued the work of collecting and organizing the documents up until the time of his death, with the assistance of Beryl Briscoe who typed thousands of pages of documents.

     Rev. Dr. Hugo Odhner and Lennart Alfelt, later the Curator of Swedenborgiana, also helped with the translation of many Swedish and Danish documents.

[Photograph of Beryl G. Briscoe.]

     When the Benade Hall fire struck in 1948, the Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents was stored in a room directly over the origin of the fire. The next day it was discovered that the entire collection had been hastily moved out of harm's way before the flames arrived.11

     The collection grew in size with the addition of documents, translations and references. By the time the second edition was completed in 1963 it had grown from six to eleven volumes. The escalating Cold War between the United States and Russia led to concerns about the safety of the collection in the event of a nuclear attack. As a result, Charles S. Cole, Jr. arranged to have microfilm copies made of the collection which were sent to the Swedenborg Society in London and the Swedenborg School of Religion Library which is now part of the Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California. The original collection is still located in Swedenborgiana at Swedenborg Library in Bryn Athyn.

     These transcriptions of Swedenborg documents are especially important for scholars since some of the original documents no longer exist.

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One scholar traveled from Sweden to consult "The Green Books" and its collection of Nordenskjold documents because the original Nordenskjold papers had been destroyed in a fire.

     Though clearly an important resource for the New Church, the usefulness of the Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents has been limited by the lack of easy access for researchers who do not live near Bryn Athyn. In addition, it has been difficult to locate information within the collection. While a chronological format is helpful in making connections between documents and events, it makes research more difficult if the existence of a document, or the date it was created, are not known.

     Realizing the importance of preserving and making this collection more accessible to scholars, Swedenborg Library Director, Carroll Odhner, initiated the scanning of the documents in the summer of 1997 with the support of Charles

     S. Cole, Jr. Subsequent grants were obtained over several years from The Carpenter Fellowship Fund to complete the scanning.12 The resulting digital files were searchable as long as the researcher knew which volume to look through. The collection was briefly made available online through the library website until a technical problem caused it to be lost in "cyberspace."

     In 2007 work began on a new digital library to make material from the library collections available to scholars and individuals around the world. Known as the Swedenborg Library Digital Collections, this resource has been made possible by grants from the Phoebe W. Haas Charitable Trust and the William Penn Foundation. It will include a selection of correspondence, photographs, manuscripts, journals, books, maps and other materials that document the history of the New Church, including the life and works of Emanuel Swedenborg.

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Grouped into three categories: Swedenborgiana, New Church Literature and Archives, material will be gradually added as the scanning progresses. The highlight of the Swedenborgiana section is the Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents, which is now once again available online through the Swedenborg Library website: www.brynathyn.edu/academics/swedenborg-library - select Digital Collections and then Swedenborgiana. Users can browse through the documents or employ keywords to search for specific information. Unlike the original digital version that would allow searching only through one volume or document at a time, the Swedenborg Library Digital Collections now allows users to search the entire database with each query. The program will return a list of documents that include the search terms and once a document is selected it will jump immediately to the first occurrence of that term. If a term appears more than once in a document, clicking on the icon of a page with an arrow will skip to the next occurrence. For example, try searching for signet, organ, candlestick, or tapestry.

     Due to difficulties in scanning the documents, users will find many spelling and layout errors in the Collection. In addition, some of the documents are still in their original Swedish language. Since it was decided that accessibility is more important than neatness and having translations of every document, the Collection is now available "as is." Improvements will be made as time and resources allow.

     The Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents presently includes over 3,000 documents amounting to more than 5,500 pages of material. There are, no doubt, additional documents that could be added to this collection which was last edited in 1963. Actually, the collection will never be complete?requiring continual updating as more documents are discovered.

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In addition to educational use and private inquiry, this important resource will support the future publication of scholarly editions of Swedenborg's works and collateral studies, providing access to sources which can shed new light on Swedenborg and the world he lived in. Now, in the 21st Century, this impressive collection of 18th century documents is available to anyone on the planet with access to an online computer.

Images courtesy of The Academy of the New Church Swedenborg Archives, Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

1 Cyriel Odhner Sigstedt, The Swedenborg Epic: The Life and Work of Emanuel Swedenborg (New York: Record Press, 1952) 435 and 442.

2 Also spelled as Nordenskiold. Pronounced as "Nordenshold."

3 An early version of a photocopy.

4 R. L. Tafel, Documents Concerning The Life and Character of Emanuel Swedenborg: Volume I (London: Swedenborg Society, 1875) Preface, V?VIII

5 From the purposes of The Swedenborg Scientific Association listed inside each cover of The New Philosophy.

6 Another early version of a photocopy.

7 She later became Cyriel Odhner Sigstedt

8 Cyriel Odhner Sigstedt, The Swedenborg Document Work, New Church Life, September 1955, 395 - 397.

9 Originally published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1910 as An Abridged Chronological List of the Works of Emanuel Swedenborg, by Alfred H. Stroh and Greta Ekelof.

10 Sigstedt, The Swedenborg Document Work, 398 - 399

11 Sigstedt, The Swedenborg Document Work, 400 - 401

12 From an earlier Swedenborg Library website description of the Academy Collection.

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LETTER FROM SWEDENBORG 2009

LETTER FROM SWEDENBORG       MARVIN B. CLYMER       2009


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     Imagine what it would have been like to live in England during Swedenborg's time, to be among the first on this earth to read his Writings and recognize them as the Second Coming of the Lord! Think of the excitement you would have felt if you had the privilege of seeing Swedenborg, himself, in London and perhaps even speaking to him. What would you say?

     The Reverend Thomas Hartley was one of those fortunate few who not only had the opportunity to speak with Swedenborg, but also to know him as a friend! Rev. Hartley was a clergyman of the Church of England, rector of Winwick in Northamptonshire (a day's journey Northwest of London) and one of the first receivers of his doctrines in England. On August 2, 1769, Rev. Hartley wrote to Swedenborg, "I consider myself most highly favoured and I rejoice from my inmost heart in having had the honour, which you lately granted me, of conversing with you; and also in your having been so kind and friendly towards me .... For who among kings, if he is of a sane mind, would not gladly converse with an inhabitant of heaven, while here on earth?" 1

     Later in the same letter, Rev. Hartley asked Swedenborg for some details of his life which could be used in his defense, if necessary, after his return to Sweden. Swedenborg replied about three days later with a beautiful letter that not only tells his story in a nutshell, but reveals his outlook on life and his Divine mission in a very real and personal way - just two and a half years before his work on Earth was completed. It is interesting to note how little he says about his many scientific accomplishments.

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I rejoice at the friendship which you manifest in your letter; and I thank you sincerely for both, but especially for your friendship. The praises with which you overwhelm me, I receive simply as expressions of your love for the truths contained in my writings; and I refer them, as their source, to the Lord, our Savior, from whom is everything true, because He is the Truth Itself (John 4:6). I have considered chiefly the remarks you make at the close of your letter, where you express yourself as follows: "If, perchance, after your departure from England, your writings should be the subject of discussion, and occasion should arise for defending you, their author, against some malignant slanderer, who may wish to injure your reputation by a web of falsehoods - as those are in the habit of doing who hate the truth - would it not be well for you, in order to repel such slanderers, to leave with me some particulars respecting yourself, your degrees in the University, the public offices you have filled, your friends and relations, the honors which, I am told, have been conferred upon you, and anything else that might be useful in establishing your good name, so that ill-conceived prejudices may be removed; for it is our duty to use all lawful means lest the cause of truth should suffer injury." After reflecting on this, I have been led to yield to your friendly advice, and will now communicate to you some particulars of my life, which are briefly as follows:

I was born at Stockholm on the 29th of January in the year 1689.2 My father's name was Jesper Swedberg, who was bishop of West Gothland, and a man of celebrity in his time. He was also elected and enrolled as a member of the English Society, for the Propagation of the Gospel; for he had been appointed by King Charles XII Bishop over the Swedish churches in Pennsylvania, and also over the church in London. In the year 1710 I went abroad. I proceeded first to England, and afterwards to Holland, France, and Germany, and returned home in the year 1714.3

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In the year 1716, and also afterwards, I had many conversations with Charles XII, King of Sweden, who greatly favored me, and in the same year appointed me to the office of Assessor in the College of Mines, which office I filled until the year 1747, when I resigned it, retaining, however, the salary of the office during my life. My sole object in resigning was that I might have more leisure to devote to the new office enjoined on me by the Lord. A higher post of honor was then offered me, which I positively declined, lest my mind should be inspired with pride. In the year 1719, I was ennobled by Queen Ulrica Eleanora, and named Swedenborg; and from that time I have taken my seat among the nobles of the rank of knighthood, in the triennial sessions of the Diet. I am a Fellow and member, by invitation, of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm; but I have never sought admission into any literary society in any other place, because I am in an angelic society, where such things as relate to heaven and the soul are the only subjects of discourse; while in literary societies the world and the body form the only subjects of discussion. In the year 1734, I published, at Leipsic, Regnum Minerale, in three volumes, folio. In the year 1738 I made a journey to Italy, and stayed a year at Venice and Rome.

With respect to my family connections, I had four sisters. One of them was married to Eric Benzelius, who subsequently became the archbishop of Upsala, and through him I became related to the two succeeding archbishops, who both belonged to the family of Benzelius, and were younger brothers of Eric. My second sister was married to Lars Benzelstierna, who became a provincial governor; but these two are dead. Two bishops, however, who are related to me, are still living; one of them, whose name is Filenius, and who is bishop of East Gothland, officiates now as president of the House of the Clergy in the Diet of Stockholm, in place of the archbishop, who is an invalid;

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he married my sister's daughter; the other, named Benzelstierna, is bishop of Westmanland and Dalecarlia; he is the son of my second sister. Not to mention others of my relations who occupy stations of honor. Moreover, all the bishops of my native country, who are ten in number, and also the sixteen senators, and the rest of those highest in office, entertain feelings of affection for me; from their affection they honor me, and I live with them on terms of familiarity, as a friend among friends; the reason of which is, that they know I am in company with angels. Even the king and the queen, and the three princes, their sons, show me great favor; I was also invited once by the king and queen to dine with them at their own table, which honor is generally accorded only to those who are highest in office; subsequently the crown prince granted me the same favor. They all desire me to return home; wherefore, I am far from apprehending, in my own country, that persecution, which you fear, and against which in your letter you desire in so friendly a manner to provide; and if they persecute me elsewhere, it can do me no harm.

But all that I have thus far related, I consider of comparatively little importance; for it is far exceeded by the circumstance, that I have been called to a holy office by the Lord Himself, who most mercifully appeared before me, his servant, in the year 1743; when he opened my sight into the spiritual world, and granted me to speak with spirits and angels, in which state I have continued up to the present day. From that time I began to print and publish the various arcana that were seen by me and revealed to me, as the arcana concerning Heaven and Hell, the state of man after death, the true worship of God, the spiritual sense of the Word, besides many other most important matters conducive to salvation and wisdom. The only reason of my journeys abroad has been the desire of making myself useful, and of making known the arcana that were entrusted to me. Moreover, I have as much of this world's wealth as I need, and I neither seek nor wish for more.

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Your letter has induced me to write all these particulars, in order that as you say "ill?conceived prejudices may be removed." Farewell; and from my heart I wish you all the happiness both in this world, and the next; which I have not the least doubt you will attain, if you look and pray to our Lord.

     Eman. Swedenborg

     Hartley had some additional correspondence with Swedenborg before he left for Sweden in October of 1769. Then in the summer of 1771 Swedenborg returned to London where he spent the remainder of his earthly days. Hartley had the pleasure of visiting him about twenty times during the last year of Swedenborg's life on Earth, spending about two hours with him on each visit.4 What marvelous conversations they must have had!

     The letter above can be found in:

Posthumous Theological Works of Emanuel Swedenborg: Volume I (New York, Swedenborg Foundation, 1954) page 5.

Documents Concerning The Life And Character Of Emanuel Swedenborg: Volume I, R. L. Tafel (London, Swedenborg Society, 1875) page 6-9.

Letters and Memorials of Emanuel Swedenborg, Alfred Acton (Bryn Athyn, Swedenborg Scientific Association, 1955) page 676-679.

     

1 R. L. Tafel, Documents Concerning The Life And Character of Emanuel Swedenborg: Volume 1 (London, Swedenborg Society, 1875) page 1.

2 This date has generally been considered a printing error since he was actually born in 1688, however General Tuxon related that Swedenborg told him that he had originally written "1688", but an angel had instructed him to change it to "1689" because of the correspondence of that number (see Letters and Memorials of Emanuel Swedenborg: Volume II by Alfred Acton, 1955, page 676 and Documents Concerning Emanuel Swedenborg: Vol.2, Pt. 1 by R. L. Tafel, 1875, page 436).

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3 The actual year was 1715.

4 Thomas Hartley, New Church Life, September and October 1895, pages 135-137 and 151-153 and Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents: Vol. IX, #1465.12: http://digitalcollections.swedenborglibrary.org:8080/awweb/guest.jsp?smd=1 (Search for 1465.12)

     SKALDE-BREF, TILL ASSESSOR SVEDENBORG

Discovered in the Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents (the Green Books), # 1675.13, a Poem to Swedenborg, by C.J. Brunjeanson, first printed in Afton Bladet, i.e. The Evening Post, a Swedish evening newspaper, on Friday 10 Mar. 1815. First, the Swedish original, then a translation.

Skalde-Bref, till Assessor Svedenborg.

Du sluge Svedenborg! som verldens undran vacker,
Som dina tankars vidd, til Andars Rike stracker;
Som talar, nar du vill, med fordne Birger Jarl,
Med Rysslands tappre Czaar och Svergies Tolfte Carl,
Som i Din tryckta Bok, den satsen vil forsvara,
At Valhallas skuggor ock, sig karligt kunna para,
Forlat, jag dig f?rstor, uti din ljuva ro,
Jag ej bestrider dig, nar manga pa dig tro,
Jag endast ber om lof, dig nagra fragor gora
Och att med talamod, du ville darpa hora,

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Hvar har du lardt din konst? hvem har dig gjordt sa vis,
At til Tartaren ga och sallas Paradis?
At med en Martvills sj?l, fortroligt sallskap hafva,
Nar man dess dode kropp, knapt hunnit at begrafva?
At visa stallet ut, dar han den Sedel lagt,
Hvarfor i dubbel sorg, dess Enka blifvit bragt?
At nar en Preussens Prins, for doden maste vika,
Med Wilhelms dolda tal, forf?ra Var ULRICA?
At nar i vardigt Lag, du satt i Gotheborg,
I gladjen, blifva rord, af svar och nara sorg;
Vid bordet ropa ut, at Stockholms Forstad brinner,
Och at ditt kara Hus, med moda raddning vinner?
Allt detta sanning ar, som ingen nekat har.
F?rn?j mig Svedenborg, och unna mig ditt svar.

Du stadnar, ser dig om och vackes ur din dvala;
Du tanker ganska djupt och arnar snart at tala;
Nu opnar du din mun och jag nyfiken star,
Jag vantar stora ting, men detta hora far:
Lat forvett, kare Van! din hjerne ej forvilla:
Lat dumma fragor ej din adla tid forspilla.

     
Now the rhymed Translation of C.J. Brunjeanson's 1815 Poem, by Erik E. Sandstrom.

     Poetic Letter To Assessor Svedenborg1

You clever Svedenborg, rousing admiration,
So broadminded, the spirit-world your destination,
Who speaks whene'er you wish with ancient Birger Jarl,2
With Russia's valiant Czar3 and the Twelfth of Sweden's Karl.4
Who pleads the way it is in all your printed work,
What one would love to match e'en with Valhalla's mirk.

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Pardon me for troubling your peaceful slumber,
Don't count me as a foe, your friends do them outnumber,
I merely beg your time some questions here to place -
Should giving ear to them just lie within your grace.

Where did you learn this art? Who made you oh, so wise,
That you can visit Tartary and Paradise?
Had you with Martville's5 spirit really conferred,
E'en when his body had but hardly been interred?
And shown where he had placed the missing sale-receipt
Which doubly had his widow vexed with so much grief?
And when a Prussian Prince6 must answer to death's call,
And William's secret converse cause Ulrica's7 fall?
Then while in Gothenburg to festive meal you sat,
Your mood was much disturbed by fire's hard-by threat,
Called out that Stockholm's suburb now in ashes lay,
And your own precious home but scarcely snatched away?8
All this is counted true, as no one will deny.
Do not begrudge me, Svedenborg, please do reply.

You glance and steady up, and stir yourself from rest,
You think at some fair depth and soon your voice will test;
You part your lips, as I stand there in curious fear,
And I expect a marvel, but I've earned a mere:
"Do not let nonsense fret your mind, my dearest friend:
Do not let silly doubts your precious time expend."


     1 Svedenborg: Swedish spelling
     2 Early Swedish state reformer, ca. 1210-1266
     3 Peter the Great, 1672-1725, warred against Charles XII of Sweden.
     4 Charles XII King of Sweden, 1682-1718, warrior King, Swedenborg's first employer as Assessor Extraordinaire of Mines.
     5 Martville's widow asked Swedenborg about a lost receipt for a silver set.

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Later, in her dream Martville told her where to find it.
     6 William, or Vilhelm, Prince of Prussia, died in 1756, brother to Frederick the Great, 1712-1786, and brother to Queen of Sweden, Ulrica. The Queen had been publicly reprimanded for a plot in 1756, at which time 10 conspirators were hanged. The plot was to restore despotism to Sweden.
     7 Lovisa Ulrica, Queen of Sweden, 1720-1782, sister to Frederick the Great. The plot here is the well known "Queen's Secret." Swedenborg Epic 280-281, 340.
     8 The Stockholm Fire, Swedenborg's vision of this at Sahlgren's home in Gothenburg, June 1759.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     Swedenborg knew history, one chronology starting from the Return from Captivity

     JERUSALEM AND THE TMEPLE AFTER THE CAPTIVITY

The building of the temple commenced in the year 72 after the captivity; completed as to the interior portions in 91, 94. Jerusalem built, 163. Haman wishes to massacre the Jews, 215. The Temple is pillaged, 439. The Jews are driven to idols by Antiochus, 441. The Temple cleansed, 444. Alcimus begins to destroy the Temple wall, 449. Hycranus, Anstabulus, Alexander Jannieus reign in Judea, 504, 505, 506. Aristabulus (II.), till 542. Pompey takes Jerusalem, 545. Antigonus takes possession of Judea, 568. Herod is then declared king of Judea, 568. Herod besieges and reduces Jerusalem, 571, 572. Augustus sets about building the Temple, 586. The building of the Temple finished, Herod celebrates the dedication, 595. The Temple polluted by the Samaritans, 615. The bulding of the Temple discontinued, 631. The Lord is born, 605. (Spiritual Experiences 6082)

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RENEWAL 2009

RENEWAL       Editor       2009


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     The New Year with its traditions of resolutions to overcome bad habits, has the promise of "change." There is something totally new I want to tell you about. It started 2000 years ago. It was a renewal in our thinking ability which began with the Lord's glorification, when "He introduced Himself by successive steps, in order that He might thus unite His Human to the Divine, and make it Divine; and this by His own power." He thus "introduced Himself (into a super-eminence of wisdom and intelligence) by successive steps...by His own power" (Arcana Coelestia 2500:3).

     Although the Lord had all knowledge "prior to learning" from birth, because He was omniscient as to the Divine in Him, still He had to make progress towards the final union with the Divine. Therefore He was "born a man, and was to progress as a man according to Divine order" (Arcana Coelestia 2500). By the time the Lord said, "All power is given to Me in heaven and on earth" (Matthew 28.18), His Resurrection had been accomplished. He was now the Lord God Jesus Christ, God in One Person, holding the reign to all power. The Lord God was then the same God who "created the heavens and the earth" in the beginning (Genesis 1:1). That is why Jesus had said: "O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was." (John 17:5).

     Before the world was, means "in the beginning." "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." This means soul and body. The renewal we mentioned is the new light that the risen Lord God now gives to both our internal and external man. Before the Advent, only the internal man received this influx. However, because the Lord glorified the same body that we have, by overcoming the temptations from hell, and conquering them one by one, He made His Body Divine, as already was the soul.

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His Divine Essence, or soul, was reciprocally united with the Human essence or body, making them to be completely at one. This came to be called the At-One-Ment, now misapplied as the Vicarious Atonement.

     The actual result of the Atonement, was one God in one Person, the Divine Human. This is the visible Lord God, "our Father who art in the heavens," who could at that point illuminate the heavens: "The Divine Itself ...took on the human and ... when this was made Divine, He could thereby illuminate not only the celestial heaven itself but also the spiritual heaven, and likewise the human race" (Arcana Coelestia 4180.5). A new light began for all angels and human beings after the Advent. It started affecting the human mind: "The Lord willed to put on by birth the human itself; for thus He could illumine not only the rational but also the natural things of man; for He made both the rational and the natural in Himself Divine, in order that He might also be a light to those who were in such gross darkness." (Arcana Coelestia 3145.3, cf. 2776.3) The Lord now could inspire both the human rational, and his natural mental levels.

     That is the renewal we are talking of here. Why is that important now?

     Well, it is 2009, and we are thinking of the New Year. But still that light that began 2000 years ago, was shrouded in murk soon thereafter, and only since 1757 has it again been restored - sevenfold at that! This same light is mentioned by Matthew: "The people who sat in darkness saw a great light, and to them that sat in the region and shadow of death, did light spring up" (Isaiah 9.2, Matthew 4.16). For the last 250 years, both the top and bottom halves of our conscious mind could receive light from the risen Lord, through heavens which themselves were also lit up anew. The Modern Age had begun.

     Let us suppose for a moment that the resurrection happened, not 2000 years ago, but this last Christmas of 2008.

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By this time, in January 2009, the new light would just be beginning to affect us. If you did not know the above passages on the new enlightenment from the risen Lord, we could say that this new light has started with your discovery of them. Our rational and natural can be enlightened simultaneously. It is not enough to have just the one or other lit up. Thus it is re-iterated: "The Lord, having now put on also the Divine natural, enlightens both the internal spiritual man and the external natural man; for when only the internal man enlightened, and not the external as well, there is shadow; and the same is true when the external man is enlightened and not the internal" (True Christian Religion 109).

     Both have to be enlightened at the same time. There would be shadow if only one half were enlightened, and the other not. Only one or the other received light, for centuries! After the Council of Nicaea in 325 a.d., "a dense cloud intervened, under which the day advanced to evening, and afterward to night, in which the moon arose for some, by the dim light of which they saw something from the Word, while others went on so far into the nocturnal darkness that they saw no Divinity in the Lord's Humanity" (True Christian Religion 638).

     For the next 1500 years of Christian history, the scant light was preserved in Providence, until the last of it snuffed out, and the darkness of Judgment fulfilled all prophecies: total damnation stood "threatening at the door" again, as at the first advent (Brief Exposition 117). A second Judgment completed the first one performed on the Cross, and again that light was liberated, meaning that for the last 250 years, both halves of our mind have been enlightened, influencing both the world of Religion and the world of Science.

     "It is to be known that when a last judgment is being effected the Lord appears in the heavens in much greater effulgence and splendor than at other times, and this because the angels there must be more powerfully defended" (Apocalypse Explained 401:10).

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That greater effulgence restored to the human race the faculty of seeing higher things within the lower things: "For the understanding converts things belonging to the superior light of heaven into those belonging to the inferior light of the natural world, as a consequence of which the former are then seen within the latter in the same way as a person's inner affections are seen in his face when it lacks all pretence" (Arcana Coelestia 6125:2).

     See the "former in the latter." That is the key for explaining how genius works. Thus it is the Lord alone who enlightens both our internal man and our external man. We can see all things in the light of heaven, and at the very same time see all things in the light of nature. We can look at natural things and think about spiritual things. We can think of spiritual things, and carry what we see "over into" the natural concern, and "see the former in the latter." We can look at someone's face, and see that person's loves and ideas. We can look up at the starry sky and "be carried a bit beyond ourselves" to see God's Kingdom (Arcana Coelestia 1806). Universal Nature, the Writings tell us, is a "theater representing the Lord's Kingdom." We can renew all we see by a new way of looking. Such sight was part of the wisdom of the Most Ancient Church, described by the four rivers and substances in the Garden of Eden: "The intelligence of the faith that is from love; intelligence of the good of love, and intelligence from the good of faith from love, and intelligence of the truth of love, and the intelligence of the truth of faith from love" (cf. Arcana Coelestia 107, 110).

     That is an awful lot of intelligence! Although it was lost after the end of the golden age, this intelligence was restored after the flood. In the Ancient Church people had profound thought (Arcana Coelestia 605), and had a greater insight into the "illimitable secrets" of man's interiors than exists among people of today (Arcana Coelestia 3179).It was again lost, this time by the "Tower of Babel."

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This intelligence is what can now be restored, because the "obstacles" have been removed, the world of spirits has been cleared. "This state of predominance on the part of hell was completely broken by the Last Judgment, which has now been accomplished" (Divine Providence 263). Ever after that Judgment, and thus to-day, "everyone who desires it may obtain enlightenment and wisdom." (ibid.)

     Not only that: our very ability to be reformed, to understand the Word and resolve to live by it, was restored. For after Nicaea in 325 a.d., there could be "no spiritual temptations" (True Christian Religion 597), meaning that no one could complete their regeneration while on earth. But after 1757, people could again receive light to be reformed, pre-requisite for regeneration, - - loving to live it. How dark it had been for centuries, with good people suffering: "How long, O Lord!" Now, post 1757, with "the interposing obstacles removed" we are living in the age of the "New Heaven and New Earth," and of the "Holy City Jerusalem" (Continuation of Last Judgment 12).

     The New Jerusalem refers to the truths of the New Church. The Lord has made "everything new." Many of you have been reading or hearing these all your lives! They were intended for the human race even at the first Advent, when the Lord began to give instruction in these truths. "This same doctrine was indeed given before in the Word" (Lord 65). But then, as was said, the Christian church fell away, and was first "turned into Babylon, and afterwards with others into Philistia," referring to the Catholic era followed by the Protestant or Reformed. Consequently, this "doctrine could not be seen from the Word; for the Church views the Word only from the principles of its own form of religion and doctrine pertaining to that religion" (ibid.). Now all that is over.

     So when someone asks, what is "new" about the New Church? will you know exactly what to say? Well, remember this list of blinding new light:

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     1. God is One in Person and in Essence; and the Lord is that God.
     2. The whole Sacred Scripture treats of Him alone.
     3. He came into the world to subjugate the hells, and to glorify His Human.
     4. By the Passion of the Cross He did not remove sins, but bore them. He suffered Himself to be treated the way the Word had already been treated.
     5. The imputation of Christ's merit is only given following our own repentance (cf. Lord 65).

     Will anyone notice this change which took place 250 years ago? Has anyone noticed the "restoration of spiritual freedom in thinking about matters of faith, about spiritual matters having to do with heaven" (Last Judgment 73:2)? No. "People will be unaware of this change of state, since they do not reflect on it, nor indeed do they know anything about spiritual freedom or influence from the spiritual world" (ibid.). Nor has anyone reflected on the fact that "because people have had their spiritual freedom restored,...the spiritual sense of the Word has now been disclosed, and by this means Divine truths of a more inward kind have been revealed" (ibid.)

     The Writings consist of more inward truths. That is why they are heavenly doctrines, miraculously put into human language. That is why they are brilliant. Let us resolve this New Year to thank the Lord and be in awe of the new light given, to allow us once again to be intelligent throughout the entire "Eden" of the human mind.

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CHURCH NEWS 2009

CHURCH NEWS       Editor       2009


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     Here are our new friends from Roger Koudou Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire, ordained during the summer visits by the Rev. David Lindrooth, and Bishop Brian Keith, as reported in the September New Church Life, p. 388. Their declarations of Faith and Purpose are also in that issue, p. 365 to 371. Please welcome them as they travel to Bryn Athyn for the Clergy Meetings in a few weeks.

[Photographs of Roger Koudou, Israel Byan Ampem-Darko, and Eric Messan Souka.]     

     Israel Gyan Ampem-Darko Eric Messan Souka

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[Photographs of Kwadwo Adu-Amoako, Hennock Aggro, John K. Segbenu, and George Genya Dziekpor.]

Kwadwo Adu-Amoako     Hennock Aggro John K. Segbenu George Genya Dziekpor

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JOURNEY INTO THE NEW YEAR 2009

JOURNEY INTO THE NEW YEAR              2009


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     Development of the 2009 Journey Campaign spiritual growth program is under way. It will be the 4th of such programs. Next year's workbook is being written by Rev. Peter Buss Sr., together with Star Silverman, and with the support of General Church Outreach.

     Journey Campaigns are carefully constructed to provide life oriented spiritual themes that are helpful to both newcomer and long term members alike. The programs use regular, daily reading of the Word, small group meetings, prayer and discussion coordinated with the Sunday sermon to get everyone talking about how these themes work in their own lives. The result is that the congregation comes alive with common conversation about how the concepts apply in individual life situations.

     The theme of next year's program will be Living Courageously, based on the Old Testament portrayal of the prophet Elijah (I Kings 17 - 22, II Kings 2). Courageous living begins with looking within, disciplining our minds and strengthening our connection with the Lord in order to serve others. This seven week program will give participants the opportunity to look at their spiritual lives, and connect with profound insights of this biblical story to support their spiritual path.

     The team at General Church Outreach is looking forward to sharing this exciting program. Information on training, grants, and support materials for this program will soon be available to groups and congregations interested in running it in the 2009-10 calendar year.

     Fall of 2008 saw the successful launch of Building Healthy Relationships in 19 congregations world-wide. We had 1,497 registered participants in this run of the campaign, but found it difficult measure the wonderful impact beyond those registrations. Six percent of participants were new to a New Church congregation.

     One place where such impact was present was the USS Stennis, a United States Navy aircraft carrier. The Rev. Martie Johnson, the only New Church chaplain in the Navy, launched the campaign at sea, with 40 small group participants. In addition, the ship's closed circuit television station ran ads on the program to an audience of over 5,000 sailors and marines. Martie forwarded an e-mail containing insight into what the program was doing for the sailors on his ship:

I was speaking with one of my sailors (he came to me) and he's been having significant marital problems... Divorce was spoken of - and it absolutely tore him to pieces to talk about - and he feels hopeless in it all.

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At that point, I did refer that "Building Healthy Relationships" book/class. He took a look at the book I currently have, and decided to type the "Week 1, Day 1" to her - and then type his thoughts on the lesson from last week.

Anyways - the point I am getting to: Do you have anymore of those books? I've been speaking much praise of the book/class - and my "family" in my shop are interested in attending. All of us may have our individual issue with our relationships - and are open to making those better (whether it's between us as friends and family up there, and communication - or personal relationships at home. We're interested in it - are there anymore books? Thank you very much for your help, Sir.

     Building Healthy Relationships explores the sacred lessons from the Sermon on the Mount from the Gospel of Matthew, using the transformative power found in the teachings of the New Church to provide participants with the tools to experience positive growth in our relationships. The program nurtures our spiritual growth - as individuals and as a church - and brings joy and fulfillment into our lives.

     The campaign is building a spiritual community throughout the world - linking people in seven countries, and from the Internet to the USS Stennis. Nineteen congregations ran the campaign this fall - with another 19 ready to join in 2009 - in the United States, Canada, Denmark, South Africa, Australia and the Philippines. Also participating in the program are a number of churches from the Convention and the Lord's New Church.

     A team in South Africa hosted a training session in November in the Kwa-Zulu Natal area, and is working to have all 10 South African societies and circles participate in the spring of 2009. Rev. Merlita Rogers is going to the Philippines to train three ministers there to run the campaign. Merlita writes,

One member said, that he wished his wife can join with us. Apparently he is changing his outlook in life and the lessons touched him very much... This program is really very exciting and you can easily see its effect to the people participating in the program.

     The seven-week program has a workbook for participants and is linked through the General Church website, www.newchurch.org, for those who would like to participate online and follow along with the daily readings, tasks and reflections.

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     Also available is Reflections in the Story of Joseph, a useful guide for parents and educators that links the Sunday School program with the adult materials. This year, the Office of Education developed four age levels of Sunday School materials to be used in conjunction with Building Healthy Relationships, so that children can participate along with their parents. The material is available in an easy downloadable format, and can be accessed weekly in the right hand column of the Building Healthy Relationships page online.

     For more information, contact Lydia Boericke: lydia.boericke@newchurch.org or 267-502-4915. We welcome your questions and inquiries.

[Photograph of Rev. Martie Johnson.]

     The Rev. Martie Johnson's Journey Program, Chapel, USS Stennis

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Advertisement for Bryn Athyn College:Most Other Colleges - Bryn Athyn College 2009

Advertisement for Bryn Athyn College:Most Other Colleges - Bryn Athyn College              2009


----------

     Announcements






     Vol. CXXIX No 1 NEW CHURCH LIFE
     NEW CHURCH LIFE
     PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY
     THE GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM
     BRYN ATHYN, PA 19009
     U.S.A.

     www.newchurch.org www.newchurchlife.org
     January, 2009
     New Church Life offices in Bryn Athyn, PA 19009
     Published by: General Church of the New Jerusalem
     Editor: The Rev. Dr. Erik E. Sandstrom, Box 717
     Email: erik.sandstrom@brynathyn.edu
     Send subscriptions to: New Church Life, Box 711, Bryn Athyn
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     Change of address? Please send your new address to New Church Life, Box 711, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009, or e-mail datacenter@anc-gc.org

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----------
Bryn Athyn College is a small, Christian liberal arts college offering outstanding and truly personalized academic experience. Featuring class sizes that averages 10 students, a 7:1 student to faculty ratio on a safe and beautiful 130 acre campus only 14 miles from downtown Philadelphia. Bryn Athyn College also offers internship, study abroad, and service learning opportunities in the first year of study. Spiritual by Choice. Small by Design. www.brynathyn.edu

BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE

FOUNDED IN 1877

267.502.2511
Apply Online www.brynathyn.edu
Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue        Editor       2009


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     Our sermon comes from well known Rev. Donald L. Rose considering the Lord's voice in our lives. The human voice has a powerful effect, dramatically illustrated.

     Our main article returns Loving the Lord to our pages, by Rev. Daniel W. Heinrichs, from 1975 when it first appeared. We may be surprised by our ways to love Him. Were you at the Ohio Assembly in 1974?

     I introduce you to Nunc Licet, a snip from his yet to be performed play set in Swedenborg's time, by our New Church playwright, Arthur Greisiger. It is entirely fictional, but uses period settings and invented characters to discuss New Church ideas. I hope you find it stimulating! Check out www.imagemindag.blogspot.com

     Our Book Review is of Candace Frazee's "There is An Answer," based on the years she has produced Swedenborg Information Los Angeles (S.I.L.A) that many of you receive and support.

     The Rev. Donald L. Rose, one of our veterans, was inaugurated in 1957 and ordained as Pastor in 1963. His first call in 1957 was to be the minister of Hurstville Society, Sydney, visiting Auckland New Zealand. In 1963 he was called to be Pastor at Michael Church, London, also visiting Paris and the Hague, until 1972 when he became Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society. In 1980 Don accepted the Editorship of New Church Life, and in 1981 he moved to Bryn Athyn to be also the Assistant to the Pastor there. From 1982 he served General Church and Academy uses, returning in 1986 to be Assistant, continuing as New Church Life Editor until 2005, a total of 25 years. Don is still active as Assistant to the Pastor, and lives with his wife Noelene (Miller) in Bryn Athyn, PA.

[Photograph of Rev. Don Rose.]

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WEEPING AT THE SOUND OF AN ANGEL VOICE 2009

WEEPING AT THE SOUND OF AN ANGEL VOICE       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       2009


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     A SERMON

     Today if you will hear His voice: Do not harden your hearts. (Psalm 95:7, 8)

     There was a certain hard-hearted spirit with whom an angel spoke. At length he was so affected by what was said, that he shed tears, saying that he had never wept before, but he could not refrain, for it was love speaking. (Heaven and Hell 238)

     How are you affected when someone speaks to you? It all depends, doesn't it? Obviously it depends what the person says - and I will suggest in a moment what the angel said that made that hard-hearted man cry. Yes, it depends what is said, but an important aspect is the tone in which it is said. A phrase like, "I am glad to see you," affects us so differently when said in a tone that tells us it is really meant. The tone does not just hit the ears; it goes to the heart.

     That saying about the man who wept is in the context of the teaching that angelic speech is choice and delightful, affecting "not only the ears." It goes deeper than that.

     Besides the content and the tone when someone speaks to you there is also the matter of context. If there is something going on between you and the person who speaks, the speech can affect you differently. What if it is a person who has treated you badly or a person whom you have treated badly?

     Think of the context when King Saul heard the voice of David and "wept", as we read in our lesson from 1 Samuel chapter 24. David had fought bravely on Saul's behalf and had always showed loyalty. David even played the harp to help Saul's peace of mind when evil spirits troubled him.

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     The context includes Saul's deliberate attempts to kill David, his attempt to pin him to the wall with a javelin, even as he ministered with music (1 Samuel 19:9. 10). (There is a kind of music in the speech of angels which makes them so pleasant to hear and which reaches deeply into one's affections.)

     When in the darkness of a cave David cut off part of Saul's garment to prove that he would not harm him even when he easily could have done so. Saul was actually on a mission to kill David. When Saul emerged from that cave he heard a voice and turned to see David holding up the piece of the garment. And then David made a pleading speech showing he would never harm the Lord's anointed. And that ruthless king, that hard?hearted Saul said, "Is that your voice, David, my son?" And he wept aloud.

     Saul was hard of heart; he was plagued with suspicion about the motives of others. He was blind and deaf to good intentions in others, imagining instead that others intended him harm.

     The Lord's intentions for us are completely merciful, and such is also the affection in His voice. "Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your heart." Notice the "if." There is a passage in the Writings which says the Lord is "continually speaking" to us (Arcana Coelestia 904). We may think of this teaching together with the Lord's in His glorified human saying, "Behold I stand at the door....If anyone hears My voice" (Revelation 3:20). It may be helpful to compare this to the speaking of a mother speaking to a baby. Think of the angel women in heaven who love all children with a motherly tenderness (Heaven and Hell 332). If a mother talks to a baby, what does she say? Does she impart information to the baby? Does she outline to the baby a course of action?

     No. Is she not saying, "I am here. I love you. You are safe. I will care for you"? Arcana Coelestia 904 emphasizes the same kind of presence of the Lord: "I am with you."

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And it says that everything good and true inspired by angels is from the Lord, "thus the Lord is continually speaking."

     A good thing inspired into us is hope. The angels try to keep us in hope, and we are told that "one who suffers himself to be cheered by hope, stands fast in the affirmative" (Arcana Coelestia 2338). There is an "if" in this teaching. "If he allows himself to be cheered by hope."

     When we stand fast in such an affirmative, the Lord's voice is strong for us. "The voice of the Lord is over the water....The voice of the Lord is powerful. The voice of the Lord is full of majesty" (Psalm 29:3-5). This is the Lord continually speaking to us. We may also compare this to the teaching about prayer as speech with God, and the answer to prayer. The answer, rather than instruction, may be discerned as "hope, comfort and a certain inward joy" (Arcana Coelestia 2535).

     Let us return to the account of a certain hard-hearted spirit who said that he had never wept. What makes some people notably hard-hearted? Among your classmates in high school were there not some pretty tough people? Sometimes when you find out what kind of childhood they had, you stop asking why they are so tough and start wondering how they managed to be so normal. There are cases in which the causes of a person's feelings go back beyond what the person can remember. Sibling rivalry is a case in point, and also a feeling of not being loved and maybe a lot of anger resulting from that.

     The man who wept at the voice of an angel, although we do not know his name, was a real person. His is a true story. A fraction of it is used in the book Heaven and Hell to illustrate the affecting power of angelic speech. It is also used in another context in the Arcana Coelestia, where the point illustrated is that when a baby dies, the baby does not remain a baby as some have supposed. Not only did Swedenborg get information on that, he witnessed it.

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And so we read, "I have not only been informed by angels that such is the case, but I have also spoken with a certain one who had died when an infant, and yet then appeared as an adult. The same also spoke with his brother who had died in adult age, and this from so much mutual brotherly love, that his brother could not refrain from tears, saying that it was love itself that was speaking" (Arcana Coelestia 2304).

     From that passage we learn two intriguing things. First, that angel who spoke had died in infancy, and secondly, he was actually the baby brother of that hard-hearted man!

     Can we picture a vicious circle in the household of those two brothers? The older brother resented his infant sibling, and things got worse and worse. He must have been a defiant and angry youth, and this made it hard for his parents to be loving towards him. And since the parents were not expressing love, he became more defiant - and of course even harder to love. But the baby was loved. Perhaps the older boy thought of himself as someone deprived of love, and that the cause was that baby. And was the problem solved when the little brother died? It may have become even worse. Perhaps the grieving of the parents for the lost brother angered the older brother at some level of his thinking.

     Even in death - so it may have felt - that little intruder was taking away from his older brother. We do not know how long it was between the deaths of those brothers, but we know they met again. And when the older brother knew in the other life that he was in the presence of his younger sibling, the feelings must have flooded back. And if those feelings could be articulated in words they might be something like: "You took everything, all the love. How I would like to take it all back from you!" And the answer, although so gentle, must have had the power of thunder in the emotions of the older brother. You see, an angel, and particularly an angel who died in infancy, has the characteristic of sincerely wanting to give all that he has.

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It really is their nature to want "to give the other everything and to retain nothing" (Arcana Coelestia 6478).

     Picture the angel saying to his own brother, "You want to take it all? Well, I want to give it. Take it; take all of it."

     This incident is mentioned in the Spiritual Diary where it is said that the angel brother spoke "from the prompting of mutual and fraternal love" (Spiritual Diary 3545). Another passage is obscure in some respects but so revealing in others. It seems that at that emotional scene the parents were present, the mother and the father. It says that these parents "previously had been unable to love him on account of actualities which he had contracted", but at this moment they loved him tenderly.

     The word "actualities" is used about people who really get into grim things. They don't just think about evils; they do them. One can well imagine that this young man had been street tough, probably into some crime. Swedenborg related that some make life quite difficult for themselves when they have "relaxed all restraints upon their lusts and have deliberately indulged them" (Life 97). This is the passage that ends by saying, "With others this combat is not severe; let them even once in a week, or twice in a month, resist the evils they are inclined to, and they will perceive a change." It is severe. It is hard for some people growing up.

     The young man had been tough and hard of heart. His environment had been such that he hardly showed his feelings at all. He said that he had not wept before (Heaven and Hell 238). In the Diary passage we are told that "He spoke....from controversy with a brother in infancy, he said that he would take away everything....He would take away the love of parents" (Spiritual Diary 3146.)

     Swedenborg then relates a scene full of emotion, a scene he witnessed at close hand.

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"And now I perceive (his) brother who, though he died in infancy, is now a man, insinuating that he was willing to give him all that was his, and then (showed) a tender love, whereby the other was so affected in opposition to (his) actuality, that he shed tears" (Spiritual Diary 3146).

     When we read of an extreme case of a hard heart that was softened, we may think of ways in which our hearts have been hard. "Today if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." Hearing the voice of God is truly hearing love itself, and this can affect us if we allow it. Humbling ourselves in prayer, we are told, puts away the things that hinder influx and harden our hearts. In humble acknowledgment there is "a softening of the heart" (Divine Love and Wisdom 335). It is as if we approach the altar of worship and hear the saying of the Sermon on the Mount. "If you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift before the altar and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23, 24).

     And day by day, if we are willing, the Lord will change us, and we will hear His voice saying, "I will give you a new heart, and put a new spirit within you: I will remove from you your heart of stone and will give you a heart of flesh" (Ezekiel 36:26). Amen

     Lessons: 1 Samuel 24:1-20; John 10:27-30; Heaven and Hell 236-239 Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     A brand new website has been launched by the General Church in Canada featuring all our Canadian groups and congregations. There is also an extensive and interesting summary of the doctrines including some frequently asked questions and even a chart comparing the New Church with traditional Christianity. Check out www.newchurch.ca and bookmark it to refer to your Canadian friends.

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LOVING THE LORD 2009

LOVING THE LORD       Rev. DANIEL W. HEINRICHS       2009


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      (Delivered at the Ohio District Assembly, September 21, 1974. Re-printed from New Church Life, January 1975.)

     When the Lord was asked which is the first of all the commandments, He answered: "Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment" (Mark 12:30). Nothing could be plainer or more emphatic than this assertion. The Lord said of this commandment and its corollary, that we are to love our neighbor as ourselves: "There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:31). "On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets" (Matthew 22:40). In respect to this last statement that "on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets", the Writings inform us that it means that "the Word in the internal sense treats of nothing else than love to the Lord and love toward the neighbor" (Arcana Coelestia 3427:2, 3445 et alia). They state emphatically: "In itself the Word is nothing but the doctrine of love to the Lord and of charity toward the neighbor" (Arcana Coelestia 7262, cf. 922:2).

     We may say then that the whole Word when considered as to its essence teaches one thing: love to the Lord. This is the first and foremost and inmost teaching of the whole Word - the Old Testament, the New Testament and the Writings.

     We would also note that in each of the places where this commandment occurs it is stated that we must love the Lord with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and with all our strength. We are not to just love Him, but love Him with all our being. We are to love Him above and beyond anyone and any?thing. And this is where the problem arises.

     We learn this commandment when we are little children, and we teach it to our children when they are little, and rightly so.

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And because little children are then in the sphere of celestial angels, who are above all others in love to the Lord, they respond affirmatively to this commandment. As little children we want to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. But as the years begin to pass, every time we hear or repeat this commandment we feel more and more guilty. We know that we don't love the Lord more than anything or anyone. In states of reflection we realize that we love our parents more than we love the Lord, maybe even a favorite uncle or aunt, and perhaps our close friends.

     There are many times when we ask ourselves: Do we really love the Lord at all? How can we love Him more than any one? We don't even see Him. We see our parents. We feel the warmth of their embrace; we see their love of us in their eyes; we see their hurt when we do wrong; we see their compassion when we are hurt; we experience their forgiveness; we are thrilled by their courage and strength; we are awed by their goodness. These are things we see and feel; they have depth and meaning to us. But we only read about and hear about the Lord.

     As little children the mere thought of losing our parents brings on almost unbearable feelings of desolation and emptiness. We must honestly admit, when we reflect, that we do not feel that way about the Lord. We would like to, but we don't. We would like to because He tells us that we are to love Him above all else, but no matter how we try, we cannot; and so our feelings of guilt grow, or else we reluctantly come to the conclusion that the Lord is asking of us something that is impossible. This commandment - the first of all the command?ments, the one on which all else depends - becomes unreal to us.

     Does the Lord ask the impossible of us? Obviously He cannot, for that would be neither loving, merciful or wise. The difficulty involved in this problem is one of understanding. In so far as this is a problem to us, we do not properly understand the meaning of the commandment.

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We do not properly understand what love is, and what is meant by loving the Lord. Nor do we properly understand the Lord Whom we are to love in this total manner.

     In considering this subject, one of the first things we must realize is that the Lord is infinite and we are finite. We can, therefore, never know the Lord as He is in Himself. We can only know Him as He reveals Himself to us. We begin life with no knowledge whatsoever, but with the capacity to grow in knowledge to eternity. Thus our knowledge concerning the Lord grows progressively. And since a person can only love what he knows, it follows that our love to the Lord can and should develop progressively. It is, therefore, impossible for a child, a youth or a young adult to obey this commandment in its full sense.

     We read in Apocalypse Explained: "All who are in love to the Lord from the Lord are in the third or inmost heaven; and they are such as have truths written in the life" (Op. cit. 827). And again: "They who are in goods of life from celestial affection are in love to the Lord" (Op. cit. 445:2). It is clear from these two teachings that only celestial angels are in full compliance with this commandment.

     How many men on earth are in goods of life from celestial affection and have truths written in the life? Since only those who are in advanced stages of regeneration - who are in communion with angels of the celestial heaven - can be in a life according to this commandment, we may wonder why it is stated in the way it is, for the fact is that throughout most of our lives we cannot fully comply with this commandment. Yet it could not be stated otherwise. This commandment is a statement of the ultimate end of human life - the end to which we should be looking and striving throughout our lives. In other words, the Lord is telling men in this commandment that the end and purpose in life is fulfilled when men love Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength.

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We can be in the intention and effort to live according to this commandment. And it should be comforting to know that the Lord accepts the intention for the fact.

     But does this mean that we cannot love the Lord until we reach an advanced state of regeneration? While it is true that we cannot love Him in fullness until we reach the celestial state, we can nevertheless love the Lord at all times in our lives. The Writings define love to the Lord in many different ways, and as we examine these definitions we will see that we can love the Lord as a child, in our youth and as adults. We read: "By 'loving the Lord' is meant to love to do His commandments" (Apocalypse Revealed 556). Again: "To love the Lord is to live according to His commandments" (Arcana Coelestia 10829; See also 10787; Apocalypse Explained 433:2, 707; Apocalypse Revealed 903). "He who believes he loves the Lord, and does not live according to His commandments, is very much mistaken, for to live according to the Lord's commandments is to love Him. These commandments are truths which are from the Lord, thus in which the Lord is; and therefore in so far as they are loved, that is, in so far as men live according to them from love, so far the Lord is loved" (Arcana Coelestia 10578:3). "The Lord Himself taught this clearly and powerfully when He was in the world, saying: "If ye love Me, keep My commandments....He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me....He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings" (John 14:14:15, 21, 24).

     Here is a very practical, down-to-earth way in which we can love the Lord from day to day, beginning in childhood and continuing throughout life. But to the natural mind it is not very appealing. Our natural man would like to experience a warm personal relationship rather than a life of obedience to commandments.

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But, we are told: "Loving the Lord as a person, and not loving uses, is loving the Lord from oneself, which is not loving" (Divine Love xiii, added emphasis). "An evil man as well as a good man can love the Lord as a person, and the neighbor likewise can be loved as to the person....Therefore the spiritual-natural man concludes that to love the Lord is to love that which is from Him" (Divine Wisdom xi). "In heaven by loving the Lord is not meant loving Him in respect of His person, but loving the good which is from Him, and loving good is willing good and doing it from love" (Heaven and Hell 15). The love of the Lord as a person does not conjoin man with heaven (Apocalypse Explained 1099:3; cf. 973:2).

     These teachings show us that the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that we may have in relation to love to the Lord, arise from a mistaken and false idea of what loving the Lord is. Indeed, we see from these teachings that the love which we would like to feel is in fact not really love to the Lord - not the kind of love that the Lord desires of us for our sakes. What we are thinking of is more of an external emotion than a spiritual love. Evil men as well as good men are capable of feeling the former, but not the latter.

     Another oft repeated and well known teaching is that the Lord is the Word, as stated in the opening verses of the Gospel of John: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God " (John 1:1; cf. Lord 9). To love the Lord, therefore, is to love the Word. The keeping of this commandment as it relates to children involves teaching them the stories of the Word in a sphere of affection. It also involves treating the books in which the Word is contained with reverence and respect. These things, of course, apply to youths and adults as well, but in addition, it involves for them their regularly reading and meditating on the Word of God. We would recall here the statement made earlier - that we can only love what we know. If we are going to love the Word we must know it.

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We can know it somewhat by hearing teaching from it, in services of worship and in classes. But, if we are really going to know the Word we must read it for ourselves and this regularly. We would also note that we call it the "Word of God" and the "Word of the Lord" because it contains the Lord's words. In reality it is the Lord speaking to man. By giving us a written Word, the Lord has provided us with a means of being in daily communication with Him. As we read the Word in this spirit, the Lord can communicate to us His wisdom and His love.

     We are told: "To believe in the Lord is to imbue one's understanding with the truths of faith; and...to love the Lord is to imbue one's will with the goods of love; and ... this cannot be done except by learning truths from the Word, by willing them, and by doing them" (Arcana Coelestia 10645:2). "To live according to Divine truths from the Word is to love the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia 10551:2; cf. Heaven and Hell 225e; Apocalypse Explained 831). "Men should know that the good going forth from the Lord is a likeness of Himself because He is in it, and that those who make good and truth the principles of their life by intention and action become likenesses of Him and are conjoined to Him" (Heaven and Hell 16). Again we read: "In that [third] heaven love to the Lord is willing and doing Divine truth, for Divine truth is the Lord in heaven" (Heaven and Hell 271, cf. 278).

     The truth that loving the Lord is loving the truths of the Word and living them is further emphasized in this teaching from the Divine Providence: "To love the Lord above all things consists solely in doing no evil to the Word for the reason that the Lord is the Word, or to the holy things of the church for the reason that the Lord is in the holy things of the church, or to the soul of any one for the reason that everyone's soul is in the Lord's hand. Those who shun these evils as monstrous sins love the Lord above all things" (Op cit. 94).

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     These teachings make loving the Lord a practical matter of life.

     The regular reading of the Word, reflecting on the truths we learn from it with a view to applying them to our daily lives-these are things we are able to do. And yet we know that there are many in the Church who do not do them on a regular daily basis. This should be a matter of deep concern to us. To the extent that this is the case, the first and great commandment ?the one upon which all else depends - is not being observed.

     What is the cause of this lack of daily reading of the Word and reflection upon it? There are probably many causes - too many to enumerate and explore now, but we would suggest that there is one principal cause. There are numerous passages in the Writings which make it very plain that innocence is a prerequisite to love to the Lord and all spiritual development. As we study these passages it appears that a lack of innocence is the probable cause of the problem. We read: "The good of innocence is the only thing that receives the Lord, because without the good of innocence, love to the Lord is not possible, nor charity toward the neighbor, nor faith that has life in it, nor in general any good in which is the Divine" (Arcana Coelestia 10131; cf. 5236:2; Apocalypse Explained 780:6, 828:2). To be in innocence is to acknowledge not with the mouth but with the heart that all good is from the Lord, that all truth, all intelligence and wisdom are from Him alone; and that man of himself, that is, apart from the Lord, inclines toward nothing but evil. "When man is in this confession and belief from the heart, the Lord flows in with good and truth and insinuates into him a heavenly proprium" (Arcana Coelestia 3994).

     "The ascription of all things to the Lord opens the interiors of the man toward heaven...from which comes conjunction with the Divine, influx thence, and enlightenment" (Arcana Coelestia 10227:2).

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To the extent that man attributes all things to himself and to the natural world or natural causes, the love of self becomes the center and soul of his life. On the other hand, to the extent that he attributes all things to the Lord, love to the Lord becomes the center and soul of his life (See Divine Providence 199e). These passages make it very clear that the instilling and preservation of innocence should be one of our primary concerns. We must do all in our power to see that the children entrusted to our care are protected against the loss of innocence, and we should develop it in ourselves. For to the extent that we ascribe all that is good to the Lord, to that extent do we have a desire to be led by Him, and to that extent will we go to the Word so that He may teach and lead us. And obviously, ascribing all things to the Lord makes one with loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.

     The Writings also define loving the Lord in terms of loving uses. We read: "Heavenly love is loving uses for the sake of uses, or goods for the sake of goods, which are done by a man for the church, his country, human society, and a fellow citizen; for this is loving God and the neighbor since all uses and all goods are from God and are the neighbor who is to be loved" (Heaven and Hell 557). Therefore, "to love the Lord and the neighbor means in general to perform uses" (Heaven and Hell 112).

     Now of course we know that there are many people who perform uses who do not even acknowledge the Lord. Certainly they are not loving the Lord by performing uses. The passages we quoted emphasize that uses must be loved and done for their own sake. When they are done for the sake of self or reward they actually destroy the delight of good which flows in from the Lord (Arcana Coelestia 3816). Is there any way in which we can know whether the uses we perform are for their own sake or from self for the sake of reward? The Writings say:

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     "Let [man] know that he is performing uses for the sake of uses in the measure in which he flees from evils; for so far as he flees from evils he performs uses not for himself, but from the Lord....This has been said to show that although man does not sensibly perceive whether the uses which he performs are for the sake of use or for the sake of self...still he can know it by this, whether or not he considers evils to be sins. If he regards them as sins, and for that reason abstains from doing them, the uses which he does are spiritual" (Divine Love and Wisdom 426, italics added).

     The passage goes on to explain that when a man persists in this course he eventually has an aversion for evil and a sensible perception of delight in the uses themselves. And so we are told in a passage which beautifully ties the two great commandments into one: "Loving the Lord is performing uses from Him, and loving the neighbor is performing uses to Him" (Divine Love xiii, italics added).

     Here again we have a very practical definition of love to the Lord - one that we can apply to our lives. We can all shun evils as sins, and perform uses to the neighbor with the acknowledgment that our power and ability to do good is from the Lord with us, and that the good which we do is from Him through us.

     In another passage, love to the Lord is defined thus:

Heavenly love consists in loving what is good, honest and just, because it is good, honest and just, and doing them from love; and those who have this love have a life of goodness, honesty and justice, which is heavenly life. Those who love these things for their own sake, and who do them or live them, love the Lord above all things, because they are from Him. (Heaven and Hell 481)

     Further on in this same passage it is emphasized that these must be loved for their own sake.

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These virtues can be acquired and lived for the sake of honor, reputation and gain, in which case they are perverted in us interiorly, though externally they may appear the same.

     There are then, many ways in which we can love the Lord. Or we can say, there are many ways in which love to the Lord expresses itself. We can learn His commandments and obey them. We can learn truths from His Word daily and reflect upon their meaning and application to life, and then so apply them. From the Word we can learn what evil is, and flee from it in intention, thought and deed. We can learn from the Lord in His Word who our neighbor is and how he is to be loved. Then we can perform uses to the neighbor in each degree with prudence and discretion, at the same time shunning all thought of merit or reward. We can strive to love and cherish honesty, virtue and justice for their own sake. We can cherish the holy things of the church and protect them from abuse and profanation in our lives. We can promote the eternal well-being of our fellow men. All of these are of love to the Lord.

     Certainly, there is a difference between this concept of love to the Lord and the kind of love that we feel for those persons with whom we enjoy a deep personal and mutual relationship. Perhaps, in our natural states, it seems that this love that we have been describing in its various aspects is not as great or satisfying.

     We may still feel somewhat frustrated by the thought that loving the Lord in this manner is supposed to be loving Him with all our being. But we must realize that our relationship with the Lord is one of a finite being with an Infinite Being, of man with his God. It cannot be like that of man with man.

     I will conclude this address with a passage which I think puts this whole matter in perspective and offers us encouragement to keep on striving toward this Divinely commanded end. We read:

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     "A man who is in the love of self and of the world perceives while he lives in the body a sense of delight from these loves and also in the particular pleasures derived from these loves. But a man who is in love to God and in love towards the neighbor does not perceive, while he lives in the body, any distinct sense of delight from these loves or from the good affections derived from them, but only a blessedness that is hardly perceptible, because it is hidden away in his interiors and veiled by the exteriors pertaining to the body and dulled by the cares of the world. But after death these states are entirely changed....The obscure delight and almost imperceptible blessedness of those who had been, while in the world, in love to God and in love to the neighbor are then turned into the delight of heaven, and become in every way perceived and felt, for the blessedness that lay hidden and unrecognized in their interiors while they lived in the world is then revealed and brought forth into evident sensation" (Heaven and Hell 401).
Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents 2009

Academy Collection of Swedenborg Documents              2009


----------
     This massive collection of material by and relating to Swedenborg, first printed in 1963, also called the "Green Books," has been scanned and is available on line. See January 2009 New Church Life for the history of this giant undertaking.

     An invaluable research tool, you can search it for information

     on the web. There are two websites to access: www.brynathyn.edu/academics/swedenborg-library www2.brynathyn.edu/Library/

     For help, contact Marvin B. Clymer, the Digital Collection Manager, Swedenborg Library. Marvin.Clymer@brynathyn.edu

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NUNC LICET 2009

NUNC LICET       ARTHUR GREISIGER       2009


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     A STAGE PLAY WRITTEN BY ARTHUR GREISIGER

     Selections from Act II. (Omissions marked by .....) The time period is the AGE OF REASON (circa 1771). A number of people have been invited to a spring-time social gathering to debate the current philosophical ideas concerning the nature of God. One invited guest is Emanuel Swedenborg.

Swedenborg (warmly) A perfectly delightful meal Sir John, one that I am sure would befit the most respected Prince in Heaven.

Sir John Surely the delight is mine...

Swedenborg Thank you for inviting me... [signals John on ahead of him] I have to admit... the occasions are all too rare... when I can enjoy the warm company of a congenial gathering of friends.

William (contemptuously, almost under his breath) Heh, I find it incredible that anyone could seriously proclaim they had visited Heaven and hell!

Thomas (projecting as he exits] It is a rather outrageous statement. But then again, I enjoy things that are outrageous!

Nicholas (qualifying to Thomas as he passes) It might be possible. I'm not supporting what he says; I don't know...Revolution never comes without casualties. ....Baron Swedenborg! [shaking his hand] I must thank you for your observations at dinner... I do feel better about that.

Swedenborg (pleasantly) I'm glad I could help ...... .......

Lord Eevanwald Earlier, The Baron here... was talking about Immanuel Kant... [turning to the Baron] You said Kant is confused by Mr. Swedenborg.

Swedenborg (matter-of-factly) Yes, so I hear.

Lord Eevanwald (inquisitively) Do you know Kant?

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Swedenborg (securely) Oh yes.

Sir John (incredibly) Kant is confused?

The Baron Herr Kant is not able to reconcile Mr. Svedenborg's previous and quite outstanding verk, vith his "current position."

Swedenborg (uneasy, chuckling) Oh yes...well...we have corresponded a bit, and I know that he does...struggle with the things I have written. ....

Sir John (embarrassed) I cannot say that I have read much of Kant's work.

Lord Eevanwald (abrupt and skeptical) Neither can I, but... I don't think he is alone.

Sir John (surprised) Oh... how is that?

Sir John (slightly indignant) Yes Baron?

The Baron (candidly apologetic) Vell... if I may be perfectly frank? It seems to be a big question... particularly with Herr Kant as to vezer Mr. Svedenborg here iz...uh...a visionary prophet...or...please, I hope you vill understand me sir... an insane man?

Swedenborg (slightly indignant but matter-of-factly) All I can say is: The world is in great darkness. Many people are not willing to see spiritual truth. In truth... many people are not able to.

Nicholas Not able to?

Swedenborg (concerned, saddened) It is sad to realize this is true! Many people have blocked themselves from spiritual influx.

Nicholas (inquisitive) Spiritual Influx? What, pray tell, is that?

Swedenborg Spiritual awareness...It is something that a person who is willing receives when they have become prepared. [there is a pause] I would add that it is the predecessor to Understanding and Love.

Lord Eevanwald (irate) It is convenient how you avoid the question of insanity.

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Swedenborg (surrendering) What would you have me say?

The Baron (apologetically) I have no opinion on the matter, I... I only know vat I have heard from Herr Kant.

Enter Thomas: Ah, here they are...Baron Swedenborg, [shakes hands] I was delighted by your report on the mining activities of Sweden. But surely you must know...we are infinitely more curious about your visions of Heaven.....

Swedenborg (cautiously) I would be delighted to go into greater detail sir. However, I fear the atmosphere is a bit tense...I certainly would not want to risk causing further agitation.

William (mocking) I could have told you that...Eevanwald! If the atmosphere is tense, it's because there's a lack of sanity around here!

Sir John You are creating... difficulties... William!

William (indignant, challenging, retreating) What?! ME!

Thomas (tauntingly) Yes you.

William (looking around at the disapproving looks; to Thomas) Well that's your opinion.

Swedenborg [standing he gently offers William a seat on the couch]. I would be most delighted...if perchance...the words I speak might bring comfort or benefit... to any of you.

William (baffled) Why would you be delighted if I gained something from you?

Swedenborg (lovingly, surprised) Surely it is our purpose to give of ourselves to one another. If I could give to you something that would be of eternal benefit to your soul, what a delight that truly would be!

William (mocking) You make the presumption Sir...that there is a soul and that it is eternal.

Swedenborg (emphatic) Of course I do! For most of my life I have searched... through all the known sciences...

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The Baron (suddenly awaking) Oh YES! Zis reminds me! .... Herr Kant... has told me much about your efforts.... but I still do not understand... why...?

Swedenborg (amazed, emphatic) Why? Many men have debated the issue...some ideas have been...quite reasonable, most, however, are simply absurd. As for me...I could not make a judgment without first being certain that what I was to say would be correct.

Lord Eevanwald (impatient) What are you talking about?

Swedenborg The Quest for the seat of the soul.

William What a waste of time! I'll tell you where the seat of the soul is. [pats his behind]

Christine (craftily) Isn't the source of our intelligence in our soul, William...?

Swedenborg (sadly) Assuredly, you may feel that way, if you so choose, Sir. However, I can only advise you that it is not, as you say... "a waste of time!" I have spoken with many who have thought likewise...and it is sad to say...they are now...in hell.

The Baron (uncertain, baffled) Un you know zis?

Swedenborg (cautious, confidentially) As I said... I have spoken with them.

Lord Eevanwald (amazed) So you are saying that you have spoken with people in hell?

Swedenborg (calmly) Yes. Spirits from hell, in the Spiritual World. Those who, while living in the natural world, have chosen from their own volition to behave in a hellish fashion, go to Hell and are referred to as infernal spirits. Some are referred to as demons, some are devils.

William (satirically) Are we expected to take this seriously?

Sir John (irritated) William! Look! I did not call this gathering to have my other guests continually assaulted by you, so stop it! I especially do not want you to pressure Assessor Swedenborg into defending his position.

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William (angered but stifled) Defending his position, are you listening to him?

Sir John (irritated) I invited the Assessor to a congenial gathering... so we might learn from his experience..... I think you owe us an apology.

William (backing off) All right! It's your gathering John, I'm sorry.

The Baron (refocusing the conversation) Und have you found it Sir...ze seat...of ze soul?

Swedenborg I have found the answer to my questions. In fact, the Lord has shown me many wonderful things.

Thomas (confused) The Lord?

Swedenborg (clarifying, direct) Yes, the Lord, God, who having taken on the human form was Jesus Christ, the One God of Heaven and Earth, the Creator and the Giver of Life.

Nicholas (stunned) You speak of Jesus and God as one and the same?

[General murmur, questioning what has never been officially stated by the church]

Swedenborg (confident) Certainly! It is the truth.

Nicholas (unconvinced and disturbed) How can you say such a thing?

Swedenborg (confident) He has so often shown us in His Word the Truth and Goodness of His Divine Human and so many other truths that confirm what I have just said.

Nicholas (confused) What??

Swedenborg (unhesitatingly confident) The Lord God, the Creator chose to be born into His creation...to become human, fully manifest in the outermost natural form of His creation-the temporal human form. He did this so that He could dwell among men.

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Nicholas (questioning) AH, so you're saying God was born as Jesus? I've heard that before, but I don't see how it's possible for a... the... for God to be the all knowing creator of the world, who supposedly maintains control over all things... and yet He is supposed to have also become human... you know... in this form of Jesus... and still be in control of everything, it sounds impossible to me.

Sir John (emphatic, impatient) Nothing is impossible for God. That is the very basis, the foundation of Christianity!

Nicholas (embarrassed, apologetic) Yeh, well, if that's the case then, I'm not very knowledgeable about Christianity; it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

Christine (surprised) No?

Nicholas I never really... had time, I guess.

Christine Do you have time now?

Nicholas Now?!

Thomas (breaking out of a trance) Explain to me this idea about the temporal human form?

Swedenborg (carefully explaining) Yes, yes - the Infinite Divine, God from Eternity...descended to the natural level of creation the aspect of the created universe which has the greatest degree of density. It is here that we dwell when we are alive in the material and it is here that he also took on the temporal human form.

Thomas (confused, not getting it) Oh! (pause) Why?

Swedenborg To bring about the eternal salvation of mankind.

Thomas (somewhat crass) Hum... yes but...

Swedenborg (methodic) It was necessary for the Divine to come into the darkness and confusion of human misunderstanding, to dwell among men and be a beacon, a light to show the way... to become the fully Divine Human.

William (interjecting) These sick ideas of Christianity are repulsive!

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Thomas (confused) This is a bit more than I can comprehend just now.

William (interjecting) They're more than just repulsive... they're nauseating!!

Lord Eevanwald (irritated, poignant) We're not interested in your complaints, so why don't you just shut your mouth!

The Baron (uncertain) Vat does dis mean... fully... Divine... Human?

Swedenborg (struggling to make it simple) Oh...(sigh) let me see... it means...a human form, the body of Christ, was prepared by The Divine...to receive the fullness of Its infinite Love and Wisdom. As we are told in the Word- "In Him dwells the fullness of the Godhead bodily." In other words... His soul WAS the Eternal God.

The Baron (stupefied, confused) Oh... But why? Why would God need to become human? I heard what you said before but it is unclear why do you say that mankind was in darkness and misunderstanding?

Swedenborg (cautious yet eager) Because mankind could no longer resist the power of evil, the hells had taken away man's free will even to the point of invading the lower heavens. By doing this the hells were able to mislead angels and men into falsifying the truth, creating confusion and misunderstanding. When truth is falsified, what is of the light becomes the darkness of evil. God became man to combat the hells on the natural level bringing them under control once and for all and restoring the balance of creation.

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WHAT HAPPENED IN 1688? 2009

WHAT HAPPENED IN 1688?       Editor       2009


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     What was happening in the world the year that Swedenborg was born? That year, 1688, was the year of the Great and Glorious Revolution in England, when James II was deposed. James I, who in 1603 assumed the throne after the death of Queen Elizabeth I, declared the Divine Right of Kings, i.e. "Rex est Lex." The King is the Law and he himself is above the law. Kings ruled by rights. Now all the Stuarts from James I to Charles II were Protestants. James' I son, Charles I, came to the throne in 1625, and took the Divine Right of Kings to heart, overplaying his hand and thus provoking Civil War in England (1642-1645, and again 1648-1649), which Charles lost. He was tried and beheaded in 1649, after which Cromwell established the Commonwealth - a democratic form of government way ahead of the American Revolution, free of the "baubles" of the orb and scepter, symbols of unlimited royal power. The Commonwealth lasted until the death of Cromwell (1658). Then Charles II, the oldest son of Charles I, was restored to the throne in 1660, beginning a sumptuous era of classic decadence. Pepys' diary from this time tells of conditions back then, including the Great Fire of London in 1666. But all these kings had nonetheless been Presbyterian, then Church of England Protestants. Now James II, the second son of the beheaded Charles I, reverted to Roman Catholicism!

     Hence the reaction against him, the Glorious Revolution of 1688, removed and exiled James II, and returned power to the Protestants, under the head of William III of Orange, come over from Holland for that purpose. The benign reign of William and Mary began, but not before the Bill of Rights in 1689 permanently restricted royal power. To this day, this Bill has the same effect on England's governmental structure as the similar Constitution and Bill of Rights on the American one.

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     Interestingly, when Swedenborg was ennobled and took his seat in the House of Nobles in 1720, newly crowned King Frederick I and Charles' XII daughter Queen Ulrika Leonora - Swedenborg's co-eval, born and baptized on the same days, just stone-throws apart - established a quadri-cameral form of government, i.e. one house each of Priests, Nobles, Burghers and Farmers. This launched Sweden's own "Era of Freedom." This democratic freedom was a marvelous respite from Charles XII's one man rule and ravaging wars which had ruined Sweden's economy. It lasted through Adolf Frederick's reign, beginning in 1751, with his German wife, Lovisa Ulrika, the sister of Frederick the Great of Prussia. But it did not run as smoothly!

     While the Seven Year War (1756-1763) was raging all through Europe, the French-Indian wars were raging in America and the War in India as well. All of Europe was pitted in alliances against itself and all through the world. One could call it the first world war! It was an anxious time, and Swedenborg was active in the house of Nobles during this time, even while writing the Heavenly Doctrines. Swedenborg was involved in smoothing out the governmental activities, focusing on preserving the excellent system of Government at that time.

     In a Memorial to the diet, Swedenborg stressed the danger of "unlimited monarchy" as happened for example to the Stuarts in England! It had happened before in Sweden too, with Queen Christina (1626 to 1689) when she became enamored with Catholicism. He did not need to mention Charles' XII absolutism, of painful memory. But he compared "absolute power" to turning to an "idol...obeying his will and worshipping whatever proceeds from his mouth." Thus he spoke for the preservation of the precious national freedom, which was lacking in, say, Prussia! (Swedenborg Epic pl. 299)

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     In an earlier Memorial to the Diet, Swedenborg tried to reverse Sweden's fortunes of war in the Seven Year War, where the Swedes were overextended, and the Premier, a good friend Count von Hopken, had resigned over the debacle. Swedenborg's assertion was to restore him to power, since he stood for that same freedom (Epic, p. 298).

     He also perhaps prevented Queen Ulrika's plot to restore "unlimited monarchy" in the famous "Queen's Secret" episode in 1761. Swedenborg accepted the Queen's challenge to repeat her secret conversation with her just deceased brother Vilhelm - a go-between with Frederick the Great to restore autocracy to Sweden. Hearing her own secret repeated word for word, make her stagger. So perhaps ended her attempts. She had already been publicly reprimanded in 1756, when ten men were hung for the same conspiracy.

     Sweden's Era of Freedom incorporated most of Swedenborg's political career and his Board of Mines career, and all of his call to be the scribe for the Writings, the Word of Heavenly Doctrine constituting the Second advent. It ended in 1773 when Gustavus III returned Sweden to the dreaded "unlimited monarchy."

     So the birth of democracy is one thread. What else happened in 1688? It was the time of ocean explorations. Dampier, a crewmember of a pirate ship, Cygnet, had set foot on Australia for the first time, in 1688. The ship was beached on the coast of North West Australia. After fleeing unfriendly aborigines, Dampier with several other crewmen was marooned on the Nicobar islands. They made their escape in a crowded native canoe, to Sumatra where he became a gunner. Finally returning to London in 1691, his journals A New Voyage round the World in 1697 becomes a best seller. Swedenborg owned a 1715 edition of it in French.

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     And St. Paul's Cathedral, Sir Wren's masterpiece, was opened in 1688, but work continued until the final stone was laid in 1710. Swedenborg was there, seeing it "finished in all its parts" (Epic p.21).

     Swedenborg owned several other "travelogues," Wheler, Herbert, etc., which make clear that he knew pretty much all world-geography that was possible to know at that time. His Principia in 1734 had a world map inserted, with only south?eastern Australia unlined as "unknown territory." Captain Cook filled in that blank even as Swedenborg observed the June 19th event in heaven, in 1770. Another travelogue by Diereville was about Arcadia, now Martha's Vineyard, and its role in Queen Anne's war (1702-1713), an era which bracketed young Svedberg's student days at Uppsala. The beaten French were allowed to continue in Arcadia after 1713, but they were completely ousted by the English after the Seven Year War ending in 1763. This was the year all those wars ended with Peace Treatises, and also when Divine Love and Wisdom, the Four Doctrines and Continuation of the Last Judgment were published in Amsterdam. This was followed by Divine Providence in 1764, in which the Lord revealed how Providence operates in warfare: through the councils of war of commanders in the field, especially through what are called "the fortunes of war" when unexpected events change the outcome. These are outward aspects of providential interventions.


     1758 AND THE EARTHS IN THE UNIVERSE.

     The Last Judgment of 1757 had occurred in the midst of essentially the "first world war," a literal fulfillment of the circumstances of the "Last Day!" The following year, 1758, five books of the Writings were published. One of them was the Earths in the Universe. This has had a meteoric existence. It instantly became a focus for looking at the universe as inhabited. In fact, young Svedberg while still a mining engineer, said there is no limit to flight, even to the moon. Life on the planets was popular at that time.

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De Telluribus, however, was the only book claiming life on other planets through the proof of speaking with inhabitants, after death! And that is a crucial point: Swedenborg talked with spirits who had been inhabitants, never with inhabitants themselves. No one can even see their own planet once they are in the spiritual world (Earths in the Universe 47). A couple of times Swedenborg saw planetary surface conditions through the eyes of spirits who were in direct contact with their own inhabitants - but those planets were in other solar systems! There could be no comparison between revelation and science. Spirits, categorically, are in the World of Spirits, between heaven and hell, and except for infants and the aged, only spirits ever attend man, never angels or devils directly (Divine Love and Wisdom 140, Heaven and Hell 600). In fact, we live long enough on earth to have a "change of spirits" like changing of the guard, at least three times during our life (Heaven and Hell 295). Spirits stay a shorter time in that world than we live here, so our attendants move on, and others take their place. When we die, we meet up with those who have died from "ten to twenty years ago" (Spiritual Experiences 5361). So logically, our attendant spirits are a half to one generation our seniors. Now, Swedenborg hardly ever mentions meeting angels from other planets, but spirits or angelic spirits, thus those who were still in their own World of Spirits. For "spirits of every earth are near their earth" (Earths in the Universe 47).

     For long held as the secret insight on life in our solar system, up to the mid 1950's, De Telluribus, now also titled "Worlds in Space," was still regarded as one key for spreading the New Church to millions of people in the decades to come. The argument was that once travel to the other planets, especially to the moon, becomes possible, they will "see for themselves" everything Swedenborg had described, and the whole world will be at our feet!

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     As you know, as the 1970's and 80's progressed with space probes and lunar landings, the enthusiasm turned to dismay. Nothing of what was described in this work was verified, except some generals, such as the lack of atmosphere on the moon. And today, the Mars rovers, Discovery and Spirit have logged an unexpected 5 years of data of a vast barren landscape that, yes, once showed the effect of water, - or was it sulphuric acid? There was once ground-water. There are rills of sand showing the effect of seas.

     So the theories on how to reconcile the evidence from the spiritual world, with what science has discovered, have muted the voices proclaiming the Earths in the Universe as a ground-breaker for the New Church. Now we mostly "leave people in freedom" by not proclaiming anything about De Telluribus too loudly.

     However, there is no need to fear. No, not that everything will be proved true within the next decade, or all the phenomena will suddenly turn up around the other side of those planets, or on one of its moons instead. No, the two sets of evidence don't even touch each other. On the one hand, Swedenborg spoke to "spirits" from various planets, most of them identified with the planets of our own solar system, but five or six other planets from somewhere else in the universe. And on the evidence of Mercurian spirits - whose use is such that they are allowed to roam the spiritual universe - there are more than 100,000 inhabited planets (Earths in the Universe, or De Telluribus 26). Maybe they are the UFO originators! Anyhow, given the almost incomprehensible vastness of the universe, this figure generally coincides with modern scientists' estimation based on probability alone. And radar observatories are scanning the skies for logical signals, called LGMs, from "Little Green Men."

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So no disagreement there.

     Furthermore, one main truth of De Telluribus is that the Gorand Man of heaven is vast. Since the end of creation is a heaven from the human race, our tiny planet Earth or Tellus would be ludicrously inadequate to fill all of that Gorand Man of uses. By contrast, there are so many uses or functions to perform in heaven, that hundreds of thousands of human races could never fill them all, to eternity! (Earths in the Universe 126). De Telluribus even explains why we can't see all those planets around suns in the universe: "The reason that these do not appear to our eyes, is their being at such an immense distance, and having only the light of their star, which cannot be reflected again as far as here" (Earths in the Universe 126). Their weak light does not reach our planet, not even with Hubble!

     Secondly, De Telluribus reveals that all angelic spirits from all planets worship the same Lord God as came on earth on our planet. The reason the Lord was actually born only on our planet, is because not only do we have the written Word (Earths in the Universe 113), but also because here externals verify internals as nowhere else in the universe. Thus all the inhabitants from our planet Tellus can promulgate en masse that their God whom they worship, was born as Man on our planet: "Hence it pleased the Lord to be born on this earth, and to make this manifest by the Word, that it might not only be known on this globe, but also might be made manifest thereby to spirits and angels even from other earths" (Earths in the Universe 118). "When the spirits and angels from those earths are informed by the spirits and angels of our earth that God is actually Man, they receive that Word, acknowledge it, and rejoice that it is so" (Earths in the Universe 121).

     Can you design a Christmas Card to convey this idea?

     What is perhaps even more astonishing is, that although we don't know what exactly the Lord looked like while on earth, the image of Him, as "He was on our earth," when shown to spirits from Jupiter and Mercury, they fell on their faces announcing that "this is the God of the universe who appeared to them on their own planets" (Earths in the Universe 40, 65, 141).

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Still other spirits humbled themselves before the Lord so profoundly, that they would not rise again until "the Lord lifted them up" (Earths in the Universe 91). We gather from this that the Lord God of the universe looked remarkably similar to the actual appearance of Jesus when He was on our earth. That makes us wonder about what a "normal" human figure looks like. Perhaps it was the resurrected image of Christ that was seen, i.e. the way the Lord was seen by the disciples after the Resurrection. Would His features be adored across the universe? Apparently so, - even to other human races whose bodily proportions differ from ours.

     Thirdly, each planet serves a distinct use in the Gorand Man, which is given for each planet discussed. Each use has a unique contribution to the Gorand Man. Our use on the planet Tellus or Earth, has "relation to the natural and external sense, which sense is the ultimate wherein the interiors of life close, and rest as on their common basis" (Earths in the Universe 122), thus turning our ideas to "the world and to self" (Earths in the Universe 89).

     All the other planets' uses are listed for us: Mercury: "the memory of things abstracted from terrestrial and merely material objects" (# 10); Venus: "the memory of things material, agreeing with the memory of things immaterial" (# 107); Mars: "what is mediate between the intellectual and the voluntary faculties, thus to thought from affection" (#88), or in contrast to us, an "idea turned from self to heaven and to the neighbor" (# 89); Jupiter: "the imaginative of thought" (# 64); Saturn: "the middle sense between the spiritual and the natural man" (# 102); and the Moon: alone of all the uses refers to a bodily part instead, namely the "ensiform or zyphoid cartilage, the fulcrum of the abdominal muscles." They "terrify the spirits who wish to do them evil, put them to flight, and go with security wherever they want" (#111).

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We may translate this last use into a function, i.e. security by scaring away evil-doers. These uses of spirits from the planets met by Swedenborg in the World of Spirits are all upwardly oriented. They all still have God appear to them. Only our Earth's use is downwardly oriented: "resting as on a common basis." And the Lord was born only here.

     Now the final fact qualifying this entire work, De Telluribus or Earths in the Universe, is that all records of meeting with spirits and angels from other planets occurred prior to 1757, prior to the Last Judgment performed during that whole year. Every observation, without exception, was written prior to 1757. The book itself was indeed published in1758, but consists of extracts from the Arcana Coelestia, the last volume of which came out in 1756. All the references in the Spiritual Experiences on this subject also occur prior to 1757. And the Last Judgment always takes place -- in the World of Spirits! (Arcana Coelestia 2121). The Last Judgment is effected neither "....upon those in hell, nor upon those in heaven...nor upon any man yet living" here on earth. That leaves only the World of Spirits which is between heaven and hell. This is where all people arrive after death, where "all are together from different ages" (Last Judgment 9, Continuation of the Last Judgment 3), "where the good and evil are mixed together," but by coming gradually "into their own life...they are separated into their true nature" (Last Judgment 32). All those to be judged are thus in "false heavens" in the World of Spirits. It is on these that the last judgment is always executed: "Still the last Judgment is not effected upon those in the world of spirits, but solely upon those who had made to themselves the likeness of a heaven in the world of spirits" (Last Judgment 69).

     Since all the spirits from other planets were spirits, they were by definition in the World of Spirits. But each World of Spirits is "near their planet."

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That is why Swedenborg had to undergo "changes of states" (Earths in the Universe 125, 158, 164, 168) in order to meet them in their own "place" in the spiritual world. Thus changes of state after death equal space travel here on earth. Here we use rockets; there they use changes of state. Swedenborg sometimes had to undergo a change of state for "ten or twelve" hours to meet up with some of these inter?planetary spirits. That indicates how different they were from our nature, and how communication with them is under the Divine Providence of the Lord.

     Prior to the 1757 Judgment, spirits had been gathering in the World of Spirits for centuries. Because I. all meetings with other spirits in the universe took place prior to our 1757 Last Judgment, and II. they took place in the Worlds of Spirits of the respective earths visited, and because III. the Last Judgment on our earth took place in our World of Spirits; therefore all such meetings are qualified by the rules which govern the World of Spirits. These rules are that after resuscitation, everyone arrives there by the third day after death, and then passes through three stages of development: the first stage in the World of Spirits is a return to externals most similar to the ones experienced in the world. The spirit forgets he has died, and returns to be with others in a similar level of normal life. This lasts for about 2 years of earth-lapsed time. The Second Stage is when internals appear. This takes the longest, with each spirit fluctuating between internals and externals. It can take up to 30 years of lapsed earth time. For example, if you arrive later, they are no longer there. The exception, of course, is married partners who await reunion. Nothing can prevent such desired reunions. But at the end of this second stage, spirits "come into their true nature." The mixed evil and good spirits are then separated. The evil spirits out of sheer anger at no longer being able to harm any good spirits, then cast themselves into hell. They need no preparation for hell, but just rush headlong, spared only from sinking deeper into hell than their capacity for evil and falsity by the withholding action of the Divine Love of the Lord.

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And the good spirits, now angelic spirits, then enter the third stage, applying only to them: preparation for heaven.

     Now the spirits from the planets Swedenborg met could have been in their respective worlds of spirits for millennia! The reason is that they have not had a "fall of mankind" as we have had on our planet. That could also explain why so few angels were "met." By contrast, here on earth there have been, first of all, a "fall of mankind" with the judgment of Noah's Flood, which together with the Tower of Babel, were prehistoric judgments. Then followed local judgments on Sodom and Gomorrah, on Pharaoh's army, on Jericho, and on Babylon. The next General Judgment was at the time of the Crucifixion, and the final one was in 1757. But other planets have not known such general calamities, even though evil exists on some planets. Thus lacking last judgments, they also had not had an Advent. Hence the use of our planet includes teaching all other human races that, of all the more than 100,000 planets that exist in the universe, the Lord God of all human races was indeed born on our planet! When the "angels and spirits" of other planets hear this, "they rejoice that it is so" (Earths in the Universe121).

     Finally, we consider the fact that all the recollections regarding the spirits from other planets, i.e. their appearance, dress, habitations, and forms of life, are qualified by the appearances in the spiritual world. For even in the World of Spirits, everything gradually becomes correspondential, i.e. they take on the form of the use each planet performs. Since all the human races of other planets have distinct uses in the Gorand Man, everything about their physical appearance, dress, culture etc. reflects that use! All the things mentioned about them, corresponds to their use. Skin-tight blue clothing, for example, would thus correspond to the use of that spirit in the Gorand Man of heaven.

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How they recollect their earthly conditions can in no way be contradicted by scientists' space probe findings. For example, the rovers on Mars, Discovery and Spirit today send pictures of a desert Martian surface. This barren view in no way contradicts the Earths in the Universe record of the spirits from Mars, because the two sets of evidence do not overlap. A report of one's earthly conditions after death cannot be challenged by a scientific picture of those same conditions, any more than your memory of Rome can be contradicted by someone else's pictures of where you have been. The memory is always on a different level from the picture. Thus there are no contradictions between, say, the Apollo missions to the moon, and the Earths in the Universe record. Nothing natural can contradict anything spiritual. Sensory evidence cannot deny matters of faith. "The desire to probe into mysteries of faith by means of sensory evidence and factual knowledge was not only the cause of the downfall of the Most Ancient Church...it is also the cause of the downfall of every Church. For that desire leads not only to falsities but also to evils of life" (Arcana Coelestia 127). No one must use space probes to doubt the spiritual evidence of De Telluribus, since the two sets of evidence are not on the same level. That applies forever. We need never worry about what science discovers.

     We therefore can rest assured that all the spirits who were met after death, by changes of states, in the Worlds of Spirits near their own planets, did in fact come from actually inhabited planets in the universe, even from ones which cannot be seen from earth, because of their "immense distance" from us. We can also neatly turn the tables on anyone who mocks the Earths in the Universe by saying: "Congratulations! I never would have thought that you, a scientist, would accept the fact of life after death! For all of Swedenborg's observations of other planets took place after death, in the spirit-world.

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Wow, I didn't know you accepted the spirit-world. Since you reject the evidence of planetary conditions from spirits from other planets, you thereby accept the validity of the afterlife as the source of the information! That is tantamount to fantastic. Will you be joining us every Sunday?
BOOK REVIEW 2009

BOOK REVIEW              2009


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There is An Answer: Living in the Post-Apocalyptic World, by Candace Frazee. Bunny House Books, Pasadena, California. 2008.

     Available through Candace Frazee, $30 plus $5 s/h U.S., Canada, Mexico, $10 s/h International. Write to 1933 Jefferson Drive, Pasadena, CA 91104.

     Candace Frazee has been writing a monthly newsletter about "Emanuel Swedenborg" called S.I.L.A., Swedenborg Information Los Angeles, now for 20 years. This book is a celebration of this contribution, by selecting from all these newsletters. This was a blurb about Swedenborg: "You know the Swedish 18th century scientist that spoke to angels! Never heard of Swedenborg (1688-1772)? You're not alone. For 20 years, she has been helping others to understand Swedenborg. People from as far as Australia, Japan, and Kenya write to Candace with difficult questions about life and death." (http://www.theangelfestival.com)

     Candace has filled this entertaining and informative volume with a whole string of photos of meetings with noteworthy people, both New Church, business friends and TV producers. She was interviewed on NBC News in Atlanta in 1996, when the Mayor of Atlanta proclaimed July 2 to 6, 1996, to be "Angel Festival Days" (p. 376).

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     Candace also is well known for hosting the annual Angel Festival in Los Angeles, now in its 15th year, and is in the Guinness Book of Records for "most bunny items in the world."

     The paperback 377-page book is full of pictures and illustrations, and reads like a glossary of straight information on everything linked to Swedenborg or the New Church. It has a colorful front cover, with the bottom half a cartoon of Candace with a magnifying glass looking at a book. There are 10 chapters, from "Meet God's Ghostwriter" through "Angels, Cults", down to "Real Dead People Swedenborg Visited," and "Who's Who in Swedenborgianism." This last chapter begins with ten pages listing all the well known people who have "owned Swedenborg's books, used his doctrines, been members of the New Church, or written about him," etc. Did you know Hector Berlioz is among them? A shorter list tells us who "plagiarized Swedenborg, used him to their own advantage, borrowed terminology without giving credit, or even twisted his words, or attacked him!" There is a space for you to list more names you may know of.

     On p. 222 and 223 are pictures of Candace's wedding to Steve in 1994, with Rev. John Odhner as one of the officiating ministers. One picture has Steve's buddies forming an arch of bicycle wheels! Steve is an aficionado of racing bicycles, having invented and patented several revolutionary bicycle parts. The pictures come with an answer to a question about marriages in heaven!

     Other pictures are very informative, such as Sumerian and Mesopotamian stone reliefs of winged humans. There are 10,000 year old cave paintings of humans with halos. Candace explains the ancient knowledge of the meaning of wings, and that "people's understanding of angels waned so far that most think angels are separate beings with halos and wings!" (p. 171)

     You may pick and choose your "answers" to questions you have not even thought of, spending hours of reading in this delightful publication. Candace thanks all her "consultants" crammed into one Acknowledgments page in front.

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Her Bibliography also reads like a Who's Who in the New Church, all on its own. A short index directs you to topics you may not think of yourself. She consults experts for veracity, and I myself think she deserves a medal for spreading news of Swedenborg further and wider than most.
Communications 2009

Communications       Heulwen Ridgway       2009


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A Reply to "Men and Women in the Ministry" (October 2008, pp 431-34) and "A Response to Men and Women in the Ministry" (November 2008, pp 513-14)

     In the October and December 2008 issues of New Church Life, Rev Olaf Hauptmann and Julie Conaron expressed their different insights on the matter of women serving in the priesthood of the New Church. Both of them presented their views and considerations sincerely, based on different perceptions of the teachings of the New Revelation. This passage from Apocalypse Revealed 398 has a bearing on the subject:

     "Ecclesia enim est interna et externa, interna apud Clericos, externa apud Laicos, seu interna apud illos qui interius studuerunt doctrinalibus ejus, et confirmaverunt illa ex Verbo, et externa apud illos qui non ita." "...for the church is internal and external; internal with the clergy, and external with the laity; or internal with those who have studied its doctrinals interiorly, and have confirmed them from the Word, and external with those who have not" (Whitehead translation).

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     It is obvious from this passage that "clergy" in this context refers to all who have studied the doctrinal things of the Church interiorly and confirmed them from the Word, regardless of whether male or female, and whether ordained priest or lay person. Likewise, "laity" includes all who have not studied interiorly, regardless of gender and whether priest or lay person. The Latin of Apocalypse Revealed 398 is inclusive, and all are termed "clergy" if they have studied the doctrinals of the Church interiorly and confirmed from the Word, and termed "laity" if they have not done so. The sole determining factor is the manner in which they have studied and confirmed.

     The later (Coulson) translation is noteworthy, and is rendered, in part, as follows: "...internal with the 'clergy', external with the 'laity'...."

     By placing the terms "clergy" and "laity" in inverted commas, the passage can be taken to mean "internal with the so-called clergy who have studied the doctrinal things of the Church interiorly, and external with the so-called laity who have not done so." Perhaps this translator was attempting to circumvent the gender issue and/or the inclusion of non-ordained people in the clergy. However, this translation is not true to the Latin.

     Regarding the matter of women in the New Church priesthood, I only wish to draw attention to this intriguing passage but do not want to draw any conclusions from a single passage. There are other passages that reflect a different view.

     Yours sincerely,
     Heulwen Ridgway, Canberra, Australia.

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Corrections 2009

Corrections              2009


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     Announcements




     Apologies to the family of Lavender Ridgway for misspelling her name, p. 541 December, 2008 issue of New Church Life. It should read: Ridgway, Betty Mary Lavender.

     The December issues re-introduced Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh as Editor on the bottom of the index page. Rev. Asplundh however is not the Editor, but continues in well-deserved retirement. This error may remind of us of all we wish to thank him for.

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Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue       Editor       2009


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     This month we warmly welcome back our previous Editor of New Church Life, Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh, in a poignant sermon, on how we should not refuse to hear the Lord's invitation.

     A thoughtful consideration of what it means to be a "Church" from Janet Briggs, introduces us to a wide range of sources of truth.

     The brief reflection on how we are influenced, especially at the Academy Schools, comes from a graduate of the 1950s, Richard Linquist.

     Please enjoy the report of Eldergarten and other Church News! Welcome also a new Priest of the General Church! We especially welcome a new priest's inauguration and his Confession of Faith.

     Note the invitation to all of you on page 129.

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BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD 2009

BEING RAISED FROM THE DEAD       Rev. KURT HORIGAN ASPLUNDH       2009


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     A SERMON

I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live (John. 11: 25).

     Lazarus had died. Martha said to the Lord: "If You had been here, my brother would not have died" (John. 11:21).

     He said: "Your brother will rise again."

     She was not comforted. She thought only of a resurrection of bodies from the earthly grave at some distant last day, not knowing the truth that the spirit of everyone who dies is withdrawn from the physical body and awakened to life in the spiritual world within three days of death.

     It was then that the Lord spoke the words of our text: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. Whoever...believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?" (John. 11:25f).

     Martha loved the Lord and believed Him, but she didn't know what He was talking about. Neither did Mary, her sister. Their grief in losing their brother overwhelmed them. Who knows what thoughts fed their sorrow? Natural thoughts; even selfish thoughts. Was Lazarus their provider? Did he keep their house in repair? Did he leave a wife and children behind that would now suffer deprivation? Perhaps the underlying cause of their grief was a natural concern for their own welfare and protection. Their life would be diminished by the death of their brother.

     In the midst of all of this "Jesus wept," but not for Lazarus. He wept for the sorrow and pain of Martha and Mary. He grieved over their ignorance. He wept for the misconceptions and false values of the Jews-and more, for the state of the whole human race whose evils were great.

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     Later, Jesus wept publicly again as He rode toward Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. "He beheld the city, and wept over it..." (Luke 19:41). There are but two places in the Gospels where the Lord is said to weep. In each place it is to signify His love and mercy. The Jews saw the Lord's tears and said, "See how He loved him!" Little did they realize how He loved them!

     When the women who watched the Lord being led away to crucifixion wept, He said: "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for Me, but weep for yourselves, and for your children" (Matthew 23:28). The world was incapable of comprehending the Lord's love and His purpose in coming to be born among men.

     What He could not teach directly, He demonstrated in symbolic acts. So here, He told them to remove the stone from the mouth of the grave. Then He called out to a man who had been dead four days: "Lazarus, come forth!" And he came out "bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth" (John. 11: 43, 44).

     Martha and Mary did not know what the Lord meant when He spoke of the resurrection. Therefore, the Lord called Lazarus back to earthly life. By this He prepared the minds of the people to understand and accept the greater miracle of His own resurrection. Then He showed that resurrection was not reincarnation, but elevation to spiritual life.

     It has been revealed to the New Church that the resurrection also means regeneration; the enlivening of the spirit with new loves. "Because burial signifies resurrection, it also signifies regeneration," we are told in the Writings, "for regeneration is man's first resurrection, as he then dies in respect to the former man, and rises again as to the new. By regeneration a man from being dead becomes alive..." (Arcana Coelestia 2916).

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     Like Martha and Mary, we may fail to understand the Lord's teaching. The symbolic act of His miracle also instructs us.

     The picture of the Lord calling forth Lazarus from his grave is a picture of the Lord calling each of us from a natural, non-spiritual way of life to a new life that is enlivened with spiritual values and qualities.

     The Lord's purpose is to call us out of the graves of selfishness and evil that we have dug for ourselves. The Lord had told His disciples before they came to Bethany: "Lazarus sleeps." "To sleep" signifies to be in ignorance; to be so immersed in what is natural and worldly as to be unaware of the spiritual realities of life. Later, He told them plainly, "Lazarus is dead." This signifies spiritual death.

     The Writings expound what is meant by "spiritual death" by reference to the parable of the grain of wheat. Jesus said, "'Except a grain of wheat fall into the earth and die it abides alone; but if it die it bears much fruit' (John 12:24). The same is true of man," we are told, "who, that he may rise again, must die both as to the body and as to what is his own, which is in itself infernal; for unless both of these die he does not have the life of heaven" (Apocalypse Explained 899:13).

     When we are in states of evil we are spiritually dead. The Lord comes to us, nevertheless, and stands beside our grave weeping. This is the sign of His mercy. He weeps because He knows that without what is spiritual, our life is limited and destined to be unhappy. He wants to call us forth from that sepulcher of selfishness in which we lie; to awaken us spiritually. He wants the grave-clothes of falsity and conceit in which we have become wrapped to be stripped away so that we are no longer bound up by these things or blinded by a shroud that covers the face.

     The miracle of raising Lazarus was the greatest that the Lord had done, having tremendous effect.

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Many witnessing it became instant believers; others scuttled to Jerusalem bearing news of this unimaginable marvel. From that day, the Lord's enemies plotted to kill Him.

     Imagine! He gave life. They wanted to take His life away. They wanted to kill the Source of life, the One that loved them all. "I am the resurrection and the life!" the Lord had said. "I am come that you might have life, and that you might have it more abundantly" (John 10: 10) "...that My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full" (John. 15:11).

     Why would anyone wish to destroy Him who came to restore life and to increase in us the spirit of joy? This is like sick people killing the doctor because he would make them well. It is like starving people killing the baker because he would feed them bread. It seems so simple when we see it in this way. Yet do we realize that we are guilty of the same thing? Daily, we refuse to hear the Lord's invitation to find new life because we don't want to lose the life we have come to love. Our evil loves and false ideas are threatened by the presence of the Lord. At times, we wish to cast Him out. The spirits of hell that abide with us are at work. They whisper in our hearts: "Don't let Him make you feel guilty! Don't give over control of your life to Him. Your life is your own!"

     Little wonder Jesus wept beside the grave of Lazarus. He knew what was in the hearts of the people. He wasn't afraid for His own life. He wept for theirs. He wept because He feared for our lives.

     The calling forth of Lazarus applies to each of us. Except for the Lord's call, we would be content to sleep in darkness, self-satisfied, wrapped up in our false ideas, blinded by prejudice and ignorance. This is why He has come to us: to raise us from our natural tendencies to a spiritual way of life.

     The Lord's words are fulfilled at this day. "Loose him, and let him go" (John. 11:44). When Lazarus came out of the tomb he was bound hand and foot with grave-clothes, and his face wrapped with a cloth.

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These bindings signify the falsities by which the hells have held us captive. Now the Lord has come to release us from that tyranny. He has broken the bonds of death. Now we are spiritually free-to choose life eternal, the gift of God. For the Lord said: "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live" (John. 11:25). Amen.

Lessons: Ezekiel. 37:12-14; John 11:32-40, 43, 44; Arcana Coelestia 5480AC 5480. And wept. That this signifies mercy is evident from the signification of "weeping," when predicated of the Lord...as being to be merciful. That weeping is expressive of grief and love, is well known, and consequently it is expressive of mercy or pity, for mercy is love grieving. The Divine love is therefore called mercy, because the human race is of itself in hell; and when man perceives this in himself, he implores mercy. As weeping is also mercy in the internal sense, therefore in the Word "weeping" is sometimes predicated of Jehovah or the Lord.... in Luke [it is said]: "When Jesus drew nigh He beheld the city, and wept over it" (20:41); Jerusalem, over which Jesus wept, or which He pitied and over which He grieved, was not only the city Jerusalem, but also, in the internal sense, the church, and the last day of it when there would no longer be any charity nor consequently any faith...and hence from pity and grief He wept.

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Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified       Editor       2009


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     We wish to honor Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh as Editor of New Church Life, from 2005 to 2007 (July '05 to July-Aug. '07). Kurt took over as Editor from the Rev. Donald Rose, who served for a remarkable 25 years. Kurt carried on the use of Editor to the highest standard! I wish to thank him for the care with which he taught me 'the ropes.'

     The Rev. Kurt H. Asplundh has been retired since 1996. He was inaugurated into the priesthood in 1960, and ordained as Pastor in 1962. He first served as Assistant to the Pastor in Pittsburgh Society, and in 1963 as Pastor there. In 1972 he answered the call to be Principal of the Bryn Athyn Church School, in 1974 adding the role of Dean of the Bryn Athyn Society. In 1981 he became the well-loved Pastor of Bryn Athyn Society, until retirement in 1996. He stepped out of retirement to take on the Editorship for two years. Kurt lives with his wife Martha (Lindsay) in Bryn Athyn, PA.

[Photograph of Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh.]

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CHURCH: A PERSONAL EXPLORATION 2009

CHURCH: A PERSONAL EXPLORATION       JANET BRIGGS       2009


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     BY JANET BRIGGS, IN CONSULTATION WITH KENNETH BRIGGS

     Exploring the essential meaning of the word and concept Church has been a life-long preoccupation. Growing up in a small community with its church as a focus was nourishing. Participating in the Wesley Foundation in Harvard Square during college years provided a more rooted dimension to my academic experience, particularly the student nursing experiences in Boston hospitals.

     Sometime later, in Kenneth's psychiatric practice in Idaho, which heavily impacted our lives, we attempted to provide spiritual assistance in the workshops and other programs that we and others gave under our sponsorship. We were trying to remedy what we perceived as superficial community church offerings that did not provide enough spiritual nourishment for our patients and others involved in these churches.

     Then it was on to Harvard Divinity School, Kenneth having left his medical practice after 17 years, in order that I could pursue this goal; to better understand the implications of the word "church." Studies in the Gospel of John, in particular, contributed to this effort as well as Process Theology concerning the focus on on-going and unfolding Revelation. After graduating and still continuing this interest, I entered a Doctor of Ministry program at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge. This provided the opportunity to focus, as an individual study, on what I had deemed "church function design." However, the well established Episcopal agenda did not allow for that kind of inquiry. Later, I realized I did not have the right ingredients for this study and would not, until I had become acquainted with the Writings of Swedenborg and the Church of the New Jerusalem.

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     The Woman Clothed With the Sun: "Because the Lord appears as a sun in heaven before the angels, therefore: When He was transfigured, His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment became as the light (Matt.17:1-2). And it is said of the strong angel who came down from heaven that: He was clothed with a cloud and his face was as it were the sun (Rev.10:1) and of the woman, that: She was seen clothed with the sun. The sun in these passages also signifies love and wisdom from the Lord; 'the woman' is the church which is called the New Jerusalem" (Apocalypse Revealed 53:3).

     Swedenborg's Writings disclose special significance, particularly, of the first books of the Old Testament and the book of Revelation. He discloses that spiritual meanings lie both beneath the surface meaning of the words as well as the surface appearance of the events recounted. Swedenborg was privileged to reveal the spiritual significance of these events in relation to abstract concepts such as faith, wisdom and truth. Such disclosures have also been applied to happenings in the gospels,

     e.g. Jesus walking on the water, (Jesus standing on the truth). These are important lessons because they open up the scriptures for deeper significance, but are also guideposts in the way we penetrate the happenings in our own life stories.

     The Church of the New Jerusalem has been dedicated to keeping such a vision in the institutional church, as well as giving guidance while we look for the deeper realities in our own life experiences.

     Although the institutional church can guide us, it cannot be responsible for the direct application of these principles in our day to day lives.

     Swedenborg also defines the church in a new way, both as married partners and as individuals. Kenneth and I have tried to learn to bring this focus to our lives as married partners.

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Our journey in making this effort has been recorded in a small book called Experiencing the Light: The Power of Two Squared. In this paper however I would like to concentrate on the spiritual-temporal focusing of an individual trying to be there as "the church."

     The Church, like heaven, is in man, and therefore the Church consists in general of the men in whom the Church is (Arcana Coelestia 3884). Knowing truth and good, and acting therefrom, constitute the External of the Church; but willing and loving truth and good, and acting therefrom, constitute the Internal of the Church (Arcana Coelestia 4899).

MEMORY

     The first requirement, I believe, in attempting to be there as "church" is to develop memory. Owen Barfield in his book, Saving the Appearances, speaks of the contribution of the Hebrew Church: "The Jews, with their language trailing vestiges of the world's Creator and their special awareness of history, were the dawning memory in the human race. They too tore the phenomena from their setting of original participation and made them inward, with intent to re-utter them from within as word. They cultivated the inwardness of the represented. They pinpointed participation to the Divine Name, the I Am spoken only from within, and it was the logic of their whole development that the cosmos of wisdom should henceforth have as its perennial source, not without, and behind the appearances but within the consciousness of man; not in front of his senses and figuration, but behind them" (Op. cit. p.155).

     From Swedenborg's Writings we are told that "the internal man is purified by knowing, understanding and thinking the truths of the Word, and the external man by willing and doing them" (Arcana Coelestia 8742-8747). However, "The external man is [must be] purified by the Lord through his internal" (Apocalypse Explained 475:7).

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But in order to cleanse the inside first, there must be a comprehensive gathering of the factors involved in each situation.

     In a book of Midrashes called Biblical Women Unbound by Norma Rosen, the author attempts to bring to the ancient women of the Bible sufficient empathy to penetrate the complexities of their existential situations. Through her empathy and by the naming of the existential predicaments of these "Biblical" women, Rosen helps to engage us in looking at the hard questions. She recounts how, in her studies with a great Talmudic scholar, she asked him to clarify the text, "Do not place a stumbling block before a blind man." She then proceeded to ask about the forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden and wondered if that was not a stumbling block. "That," replied the Talmudic scholar, "was a question the sages said should never be asked."

     The author went on to say, "The truth is, nothing seemed as important to me as asking the question the sages said should never be asked. In this way, we sometimes suppress questions for whose difficult answers we yearn, and settle instead for those whose answers we know will more readily come forth." She then asks, "How did the ancient sages, and how did the very modern sage, our Talmud teacher, find it possible to live without asking?" (Op. cit. p. xi)

     She went on to explore her premise that asking the hard questions is just the kind of effort we must make and that to retrieve the really difficult questions we must tenderly gather all the issues together as best we can.

     Why was Sarah so summarily dismissive of Hagar? This is a painful question for Jewish women. What were Ruth's options? Whatever happened to Esther? These are several of the difficult questions Norma Rosen addresses in her Midrashes, or stories that provide alternative perspectives to scripture.

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     The cleansing call for an altered hold of reality that attempts to hold the spiritual considerations prayerfully with all the temporal questions involved in a specific situation, calls for a disciplined development of focus existentially that calls one out of a merely temporal focus.

     Such a disciplined focus is the basic foundation of trying to be there as individual, as church. It calls for a persisting decision to hold that focus, even when the "hard questions" do not provide ready answers but only a sustained faith that staying with the unanswered question is the important task. This is the task of true faith.

     It is also the task in great poetry. Paolo Vivante, in his book The Homeric Imagination: A Study of Homer's Poetic Perception of Reality describes Homer as viewing his characters from the advantage of this spiritual-temporal focus. First, this frees the stories from a narrative composed of a pure chronology of events and leads to a perspective that deals with a deeper reality.

     "Even remote events could be sympathetically drawn into the present daylight hour whenever they appeared to be relevant. The Homeric scenes are thus often pregnant moments. A poetic synthesis occurred absorbing many elements which a prosaic Memory would have left in the background and combined to casual points scattered over the course of time" (Vivante, p. 146).

     Vivante goes on to explain how images are gathered from different periods in our lives to make for compact imagery "as if past scenes could not be fully realized in their present relevance unless they were conjured up to share the atmosphere of one common day" (ibid.).

     Such a dual focus allowing us to be mindful of the deeper streams operating in our lives is a true discipline. Dangers of inadequate focus may allow us to settle for concepts as abstractions or concretize the plane that we operate on (particularly the temporal plane, where the possibilities in existence in a given moment are diluted). Falling into power and success scenarios may be a result.

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Swedenborg was very mindful of this perspective. I feel that it is necessary to emphasize one of the most significant statements, for me, which Swedenborg wrote in Divine Providence: "The person who has become spiritual by the acknowledgment of God and wise by the rejection of his proprium sees the Divine Providence in the whole world and in all things therein in general and in particular. If he looks at natural things he sees it; if he looks at civil matters he sees it; if he looks at spiritual things he sees it; and this in things both in their simultaneous and in their successive relationships. He sees it in ends, in causes, in effects, in uses, in forms, in things great and small. Especially does he see it in matters concerning the salvation of men, as that Jehovah gave the Word, taught men by it concerning God, heaven and hell and eternal life, and that He Himself came into the world that He might redeem and save men. These things and many others, and the Divine Providence in them, man sees from spiritual light in natural light" (Op. cit. 189).

     It is difficult to encompass in thought the extraordinary comprehensiveness of the spiritual-temporal focus of his vision. Yet in the stream of life amidst the unexpected difficulties and complex challenges that we encounter and may feel inadequate to grope our way through, this dual focus is even more important to maintain. In our home, Kenneth and I attempt to bring this focus, in an on-going way, to the situations in our lives through prayer together. Would that we had done this more consistently in the past.

     But the individual can by oneself keep this dual focus as through the day, moment by moment, situation by situation is experienced. What are the possibilities of this moment? What does the Lord wish me to bring to this situation? Often, these questions entail risk. Did I attempt to respond as I was called to do? Did I miss the mark?

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     Swedenborg also keeps the spiritual-temporal focus as he looks at civil matters. This can be very painful for us also as we see our world grope forward, becoming increasingly more organized despite vast areas of terror and destruction. Could we even imagine the European community, as organized as it now is, following the ghastly destruction and devastation of World War II?

     "The faith that the very hairs of our head are numbered, the confidence that the Lord's providence reaches down to the very least details of our lives is represented in the story by the sea and the Lord's power over the sea. Seas stand for the ultimate, last or lowest particularities of our lives."*
     * Sermon "Walking on Water" by Rev. Stephen Cole, New Church Life, March 2008, pp. 81-82.

[Photograph of statue.]

     Such a focus may reveal an unfolding journey with shifts both large and small along the way. I could visualize the spiritual-temporal plane ratio as a kind of teeter-totter which in certain periods of life may have different angles. The challenges of young adulthood for family and career may radically shift during mid-life experience where the earlier life handholds may require a new vision. Later in life, an overly sustained emphasis on temporal goals may constitute a "misreading" of the new tasks that yearn to unfold.

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     A maintained dual focus may enable our personal lives to disclose our goals and meanings. The windows of disclosure become the stained glass windows of revelation that inform our individual "church."

     Bibliography

Barfield, Owen, Saving the Appearances, Harcourt, Brace and World, New York 1988 p. 155.

Cole, Stephen, "Walking on Water," New Church Life, March, 2008, pp. 81-82.

Rosen, Norma, Biblical Women Unbound, The Jewish Publication Society, Philadelphia, 1996, p. xi.

Vivante, Paolo, The Homeric Imagination: A Study of Homer's Poetic Perception of Reality, Irvington Publishers, New York, 1983, p.146.

The picture of "African Woman" is from a sculpture group created by Lladro of Madrid, Spain.

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INFLUENCED 2009

INFLUENCED       RICHARD LINQUIST       2009


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     "Diligently to read and meditate on the Word of God" - so begins Swedenborg's Rules of Life. This is a good habit for everyone to establish and obviously does require self-discipline. "Act precedes, man's willing follows; for that which man does from the understanding, he at last does from the will, and finally puts on as a habit" (Arcana Coelestia 4353). Just read each day and the affection for doing so will follow.

     Let's see now, when we shun evils as sins against the Lord, He can then enter into our lives to produce good. When we shun what is evil we provide an opportunity for good to be done through us. Stop slavishly obeying the old natural man's delights, and make room for a new spiritual man to be born in us. Yes, I think I understand that. I know that it is not easy but I do know that the influence of others can help. Let me offer two examples, on a less than spiritual plane, in fact on a bodily plane, about how we can shun what is unhealthy so that we then have the opportunity to develop habits of healthy living.

     When I was student at the Academy of the New Church Boys Schools I wrote a paper on the harm to the human body that is caused by smoking cigarettes. This was way back in the 1950s. My teacher gave me high praise in front of the class. I was extremely proud of myself, but not too proud, a few years later, to try smoking cigarettes. So I smoked about 5 cigarettes, one after another. Apparently I got nicotine poisoning. I, as the expression goes, was "sick as a dog" for about a week. I have never smoked since. So by not smoking, I believe, so far at least, that I have been able to sustain good health.

     Another example of not doing something harmful to the body so that it could serve uses in this world has to do with the consumption of alcohol. I still can see and hear Rev. Hugo Odhner declaring that drunkenness robs man of his manhood. As an adolescent boy in High School the last thing I wanted was to be robbed of manliness.

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He wrote of his conviction in his book, Spirits and Men: "Drunkenness causes man to lose his manhood, since it is his intellectual faculty that marks him a man" (p. 186).

     Fortunately I did not have to learn by bitter personal experience that the excessive consumption of alcohol harms man's ability to think and act rationally. So far in my life's journey I have drunk wine a maximum of about 40 times - on social occasions and at the Holy Supper. I have tasted beer but have no idea what other alcoholic drinks taste like. My own standard of judgment in these matters is: smoking one cigarette is excessive; drinking more than one glass of wine is excessive. I would suggest that each of us, especially young folks, cultivate good habits of living and caring for our bodies and minds so that we may become fit servants of the Lord.

     I am greatly indebted to my Academy teachers. They guided me well. I am sure that I speak for most of my fellow classmates from the 1950s.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     About drunkenness: I spoke with spirits about drunkenness, and they confirmed that it is an enormous sin, both because a person becomes like a brute, no longer human-because being human consists in the faculty of understanding, so one becomes like a brute-and also because it brings harm on the body and thus hastens death, besides wasting by excess resources that could be useful for many purposes. Spiritual Experiences 2422.

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JUDAS 2009

JUDAS       Editor       2009


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     Have you wondered whether Judas Iscariot was among the twelve disciples who proclaimed the June 19th message "throughout the spiritual world" in 1770? Many have written about it in New Church Life, with one verdict being that "Judas repented" and so, yes, he was now also in heaven. Another thought was that whether he was in heaven or not, the June 19th event was not affected by it in the slightest!

     With Easter coming near, it is interesting to consider what Judas involved. For the Lord selected disciples to represent some "truth from good" of the Church (Apocalypse Revealed 348), and men who could be "like" what they represented (Spiritual Experiences 1217). Judas represented what the Lord Himself was as to the maternal human, for only Judas and Jesus were fully Jewish: all the other disciples were Galileans, who were more uncultured and uncouth than the Jews. Thus Judas stood for the heredity that the Lord had to overcome (Apocalypse Explained 433:32).

     Thus during the Lord's temptations Judas represented avarice, faith separate, contradictory thoughts and consulting scientifics of higher learning against the Word. That was why the Lord said to Judas and the band of men that came to arrest Him at night, "But this is your hour, and the power of darkness" (Luke 22:53). These words however were directed against the "chief priests, the captains of the temple and the elders, who seized Him by the aid of Judas Iscariot. For Judas went by the command of the chief priests" (Apocalypse Explained 526:12). This certainly makes it possible that Judas repented his own betrayal. Whoever were guilty of this darkness, it involved "falsity of evil, [namely] falsity respecting the Lord and the evil against Him. Darkness means hell, because such falsities and evils are there" (Apocalypse Explained 526:12).

     It may be that Judas made himself an agent for the chief priests, but that he had an even greater trust in the Lord, i.e. that He would declare Himself the King of Judea, for the throne was vacant after Herod Archilaus was deposed in 6 A.D.

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Judas may therefore willingly have obeyed the Lord's last command: "That thou doest, do quickly." Perhaps he was a simple but forthright man, easily prompted into rash actions, but negatively motivated by avarice, as when he objected, "Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence and the money given to the poor?" (John 12:4, 6). Perhaps Judas wanted Jesus crowned King.

     Another point about Judas was his second name, Iscariot. This comes from the Hebrew "Ish-Kerioth" meaning the "Man from Kerioth," a city in the tribe of Judah. Kerioth means "cities" referring to intelligence in truths, doctrine and learning. Judas Iscariot could thus translate as celestial love for these things! But Kerioth is never given a good meaning in the Writings, but with Moab and Ammon an opposite meaning of falsity by which goods are adulterated and truths extinguished (Arcana Coelestia 2468:17). Judas Iscariot in that he betrayed the Lord, could therefore mean the evil which adulterates good and extinguishes truth, a "destroyer of cities."

     Still the Lord did call him to be a disciple, for the Lord knew exactly what was happening! The Lord on earth was His own Providence: He disposed His own mental states and associations with the spirits and angels in the after life, day by day. It was in His Providence, i.e. foresight of what must happen, that Judas should fulfill the purposes of His Advent. For while the Lord was on earth, His providence and omnipotence were in His own hands, and the states of His glorification were as it were planned ahead of time. We hear to our astonishment, that "the Lord Himself, when He lived in the world, these things were directed by Himself, because He was Divine, and the very being of His life was Jehovah" (#2796). He could thus by His own volition "introduce Himself (into a super-eminence of wisdom and intelligence) by successive steps...by His own power" (#2500:3). This was because the Word was opened to His Divine eyes, and there all the states He was to pass through, were already written! The Divine sense of the Torah contained "the Lord's entire life, even as to the thoughts and intentions" (#2523). Thus the Lord from His "Divine Essence" could "introduce the Human Essence in order that it might overcome from its own power" (#1661). "The Divine led the Human into the most grievous temptations" (#2816).

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Still, to the Lord's earthly consciousness, as the Son of Man on earth, it seemed that He himself was "admitting temptations into Himself, in order to expel (the mere human) until nothing but the Divine remained" (ibid. all emphases added).

     The Lord was alternately conscious on different levels, and that is how He governed His own states. We men can never know how to govern our own states: for the Lord directs all our changes of state by means of spirits and angels, to ends which He alone foresees. But the Lord was in charge of Himself! He had a perception of "all things that were taking place, and knew very clearly the quality and source of all that took place in connection with Himself" (#1701).

     Not only did the Lord direct His own states, and introduce Himself to them, but He revealed to Himself what was going to happen before they did.

     "The Lord had revelations from Himself...He spoke with Jehovah as with Himself" (#1999). He had a "continual communication and internal conversation with Jehovah" (#1791). He "revealed and answered to Himself" (#2519e). In the human it was thus "made known to Him how the Divine Itself, the Divine Human and the Holy Proceeding, were to be united in Him; then how the rational was to be made Divine, and finally of what quality was the human race, and that it was to be saved by Him" (#2171). This revelation is represented by Joseph interpreting dreams (#5121e).

     This revelation to Himself from Himself, meant that His Divine eyes were opened to see everything in the whole spiritual world (#1806e, 1807e), in the heavens, the world of spirits (#1786), and on earth (#1919).

     If these passages give us a notion that the Lord as it were "orchestrated" His own glorification, we might think we were wrong, until we read, "The Lord from His own power conjoined His external man with His internal and filled His knowledge with celestial things...according to Divine order: first in the celestial things of His childhood, next in the celestial things of the age between childhood and infancy; and finally in the celestial things of His infancy....As the Lord implanted knowledge in celestial things, so He had perception" (#1616:5).

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     Does this look as though the Lord "manipulated" His own glorification? He certainly controlled His association with angels and spirits around Himself, for He "summoned to Himself such as might be of service, and changed them at His good pleasure" (#4075). "The Lord from His Divine could induce upon Himself whatever states He pleased, and...He prepared Himself for temptations by inducing many states." First He induced peace and innocence, prepared the Natural Man, the Rational Man and then adjoined "the merit of righteousness and in this manner elevated Himself" (#2786 emphases added). "When He was to undergo the most grievous and inmost temptations, He adjoined to Himself the prior human, that is the rational and natural of it, and He afterwards separated Himself from these, nevertheless retaining something by means of which He could be tempted" again (#2795 all emphases added).

     If the Lord from revelations and answers within Himself could induce upon Himself whatever states He pleased, and retain any states to allow subsequent temptations, and could summon angelic societies to be of service at His good pleasure, we can perhaps see a new meaning in these words of the Gospels:

     To the Jews: "I lay down My life that I might take it up again. No man takes it from Me, for I lay it down Myself. I have power to lay it down...and to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father" (John 10:17, 18). In Gethsemane: "Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon Him..." (John 18:4). And: "O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me. Nevertheless not as I will but as Thou wilt" (Matt. 26:39). To Peter: "The cup which My Father hath given Me, shall I not drink it?" (John 18:11). To Pilate: "Thou could have no power at all against Me, except it were given thee from above" (John 19:11). And to Judas: "That thou doest, do quickly" (John 13:29). The Lord knew what Judas would do. When at another occasion the Lord was tempted "not to drink of this cup" or to have this "cup taken from Him," it involved the entire means whereby He would be crucified! Judas' betrayal must therefore have been specially permitted or even provided.

     All of these scriptures confirm the doctrine of how the Lord governed everything to do with His own glorification.

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The Lord governed His own states. It had even started in the Lord's childhood, for it was at that time that the Lord on earth read His own Scripture, and then revealed to Himself how to fulfill them: "For in His childhood, the Lord did not will to imbue Himself with any other knowledge than those of the Word, which was open to Him...from Jehovah Himself His Father...and this the more because nothing is said in the Word that does not in its inmost have regard to Him, and that has not first come from Him" (Arcana Coelestia 1461). And these scriptures were the very ones which contained the "entire life of the Lord on earth, such as it was to be, even as to the thoughts and intentions" (Arcana Coelestia 2523).

     In other words, the Lord revealed to Himself, while reading the Word that the Word not only dealt with Himself, but also had been written by Himself. He had caused the Word to be written so that He could later read it on earth. He could read "His life" even before it had occurred! Thus He could fulfill the scriptures even as an actor plays his role! That was why 1300 years earlier Joseph had served under Potiphar, in Providence "in order that (Joseph) might represent how the Lord progressively made the Human in Himself Divine, about which the Word was to be written, that it might contain Divine things in the internal sense" (Arcana Coelestia 5307:3). Providence was over the events themselves, which were next recorded so as to contain an internal sense. There must have been a "special providence" over this (Arcana Coelestia 6025). And when the events were recorded, only such words were used, and only in such a sequence, that the internal sense told of the Lord, throughout (Arcana Coelestia 1468e). Joseph represented the Lord's public ministry, all the way up to the Resurrection - meant by the butler restored to serve Pharaoh!

     We read in Scripture how the Lord knew all the things of Scripture being fulfilled. "Jesus, knowing that all things were accomplished, that the scriptures might be fulfilled, said I thirst. When He had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished" (John 19:28, 30). These words, "It is finished" involved the Lord here, namely how the Lord's fulfillment of Scripture was itself fulfilled in Scripture!! This completion of fulfillment is signified by the scriptural quote: "It is finished" (cf. Lord 11, True Christian Religion 262).

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     Even to the bitter end, the Lord governed His own states.

     Judas was chosen because he was of such a character that he could represent everything the Lord had to overcome through His maternal heredity. "Hereditary evil reacts against God. But so far as man believes that all his life is from God, and that all good of life is from the action of God, and all evil of life from the reaction of man, so far his reaction comes from God's action, and man acts with God as if from himself" (Divine Love and Wisdom 68 emphases added). The Lord's maternal human reacted against Him: so the Divine had to lead the Human to overcome temptations from its own power (Arcana Coelestia 1661). So, did Judas react against God, or did he react as of self from the Lord's action? Perhaps both, since both duplicity and simplicity can be ascribed to him. Judas' "faith" (= Simon's son) in the chief priests, and his "faith" in the Lord may have been in direct opposition and conflict. He may thus have intended that his betrayal would "provide a crisis that would compel Him to show His power," the result of which would be that the priests would also have acknowledged the Lord as the Messiah, and would have crowned Him as King of the Jews, even as Judas and every disciple expected. They all wanted a kingdom of this world (Henderson, New Church Life, 1972, p. 183).

     But when Judas "saw that He was condemned," he may have seen what Reuben's words signify when he found Joseph gone from the pit: "And I, where am I come?" meaning "Where is now the Church?" Judas may have thought the same as Reuben, representing part of the Lord's glorification in the Joseph story: "And I, where am I come?" Did Judas see the "depravity of the Church" which Reuben's words signify? Judas was himself a proud member. He may have seen how the Church at this particular time had perverted that simple goodness, championed by the Lord; the simple goodness which, before, it had seen no profit in destroying, i.e. when instead of killing Joseph they had said, "Come let us sell Joseph." And if indeed Judas acted "by the command of the priests" (Apocalypse Explained 526; John 18:3), these words have the same internal sense as Judas' betrayal! (Arcana Coelestia 4751e)

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Then Judas was himself betrayed by the Jewish Church's handling of the consequences. For Judas may have expected the result to be Jesus proclaimed as the Messiah, by everyone! When this did not occur, he repented, and hanged himself. But his crime was not a capital offense. He punished himself more harshly than the law would have.

     Being thus himself betrayed, and in despair over the way his betrayal of the Lord had misfired, Judas and his representation was by his death transferred to the World of Spirits, where presumably he was awake in time to witness the last Judgment performed by the Lord on the cross. It may even be that Judas represented the celestial sovereignty which the Lord had taken on from the angels, meant first by Judah whose "scepter should not depart until Shiloh come", meaning the Lord's Advent. The risen Lord then had "all power given to [Him] in heaven and on earth," which would require Judas and his better representation to be transferred to the spiritual world. For the celestial angels themselves - Judah/Judas - were also conquered by the Lord, the most subtle of all temptations (Arcana Coelestia 4295, 9715). Shiloh means peace, the Lord as the Prince of Peace, which He now could establish in the spiritual world, and from it, in the natural. For that's where peace comes from, and where it is known in its very essence. "And on earth, peace" as the angels prophesied.

     The Lord foresaw all these consequences of His betrayal. For on earth, the Lord's omnipotence and providence were in His own hands. His words and deeds were the means for His Divine Mercy to save mankind.

     Perhaps the consequences of Judas' betrayal were that certain, meant by quick. Perhaps we can see this, and much more, summed up in the Lord's words to Judas, "That thou doest, do quickly." We do not know, but it may still be that Judas was also among the twelve on June 19, 1770. Thus in Judas, we have seen how Christmas stretches through Easter, all the way to June 19th, 1770, New Church Day.

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BOOK REVIEW 2009

BOOK REVIEW       Rev. GORAN APPELGREN       2009


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     Personal Revelation - A Guide to a Personal Interpretation of the Book of Revelation

     By Rev. Michael Stanley

     Manchester 2006

     90 pages, 9 illustrations by G. Roland Smith

     "Personal Revelation" is a pertinent shortening of the full title, "A Guide to a Personal Interpretation of the Book of Revelation". We are familiar with the Book of Revelation. In the New Church we are in the advantageous position of having a sensible interpretation. Before the Second Coming, and even to this day, many have attempted to fit all the strange events in Revelation into political conflicts or upheavals in this world. Revelation has been a favorite part of the Bible for those who love to predict the downfall of civilization and the coming of the Lord to the chosen few.

     Yes, we are lucky to have a different interpretation. We don't have to make guesses about when earthquakes in Revelation happened or will happen. We know from Writings that the imagery describes developments in the world of spirits, notably a judgment of false beliefs represented by the two deviations of a true faith, the dragon standing for faith alone and Babylon standing for love of dominion in religious matters.

     We are familiar with this interpretation given in especially The Apocalypse Revealed, published by Swedenborg, but certainly also in the more extensive work The Apocalypse Explained, not published until after Swedenborg's death.

     Standing on this familiar ground this book "Personal Revelation - A Guide to a Personal Interpretation of the Book of Revelation" is meant to be an eye-opener to those who read Revelation according to this standard interpretation.

     We know from the Writings that the literal sense of the Word contains three different themes in the spiritual sense.

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The first or the lowest level has to do with how the Lord is received in more general terms or by groups of people called "churches". The second level relates to how individuals respond to the Lord. That is where we look for guidance in the process of rebirth or regeneration with which we should always busy ourselves. The third and last level describes how the Lord Himself went through the necessary changes in order to glorify His Human. The terms used are the internal historical, the spiritual and the celestial senses (Arcana Coelestia 4279:3).

     When we read Psalm 105 it is the internal historical sense that first comes to mind. In Psalm 51 we most easily see the spiritual sense shining through, and in Psalm 22 we see the celestial sense being closest to our perception. But there is no doubt that all three levels are present in the literal sense.

     The same is of course true for The Book of Revelation, and that is what the author of this book sets out to show us. He points to the spiritual sense, the ambition being to pull us out of the habitual internal historical reading. He wants to make Revelation just as much alive as a spiritual guide-book to our regeneration as we may consider the four Gospels to be as well as many other parts of the Word. It is an approach that has good qualities.

     The book is divided into 12 chapters each based on 12 principles as defined by the author. These principles follow the theme of the book to make everything applicable to a person's own spiritual development. Principle #2 for instance reads "Transition from Historical to Personal Application". Principle #8 is "Revealing of Egoistic Destructiveness", and the last principle deals with "Joyful Aspects of the Apocalyptic process".

     It is fascinating to see how we are led in each chapter to redefine a more "outer" interpretation and make it more of the Lord's personal speech with us.

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We are encouraged to leave the safe knowledge about the text behind or rather as a foundation and open our minds to a personal revelation. Yes, personal revelation. That is why the book is called "Personal Revelation".

     I think the approach of the author is useful and the book a useful tool for a person convinced of the truths in the Heavenly Doctrine. With most of the parts of the Word we are limited in our reading to the three basic principles for being taught directly by the Lord, the Doctrine of Genuine Truth, the science of correspondences and enlightenment. With Revelation we have so much given to us in plain language that we are tempted to stop short of using that text to the full. The Book of Revelation describes the New Church, not just as a prediction of a collective body of people but each individual who is in the full process of regeneration - a key concept in the faith of the New Church.

     An interesting point that is raised by the author and which puts further emphasis on a need to look deeper into the interpretation of Revelation is that, if we stay in the internal historical sense and believe that we are already THE NEW CHURCH, then we run the risk of being subjected to the same processes of a judgment that we see in Revelation. To avoid that we should use what the Lord has given us - each one on a personal level. (see page 28-29)

     Lastly a warning. One principle (# 3) is called "Beaming Searchlight of Truth results in Inner Turmoil". When the Truth comes alive in a person's regeneration it is not always just pleasant. It gives a sense of awe and inspiration but it also stirs the waters. (see page 31-33) But what else does the Lord want from us but to "cease to do evil, and learn to do good" (Isaiah 1:16, 17).

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CHURCH NEWS 2009

CHURCH NEWS       Editor       2009


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     Caryndale Society. The Rt. Rev. Kline inaugurated the Rev. Nathan Cole into the Priesthood on January 11, 2009. Our congratulations, welcome and good wishes to Nathan and his family.

[Photograph of Rt. Rev. Thomas Kline and Rev. Nathan Cole.]

Nathan's Confession of Faith at his inauguration:

     I believe that God is one in essence and in person, in Whom is a Divine trinity, and that He is the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ. I believe in His Second Coming revealed in the Word and in the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Church.

     I believe that the Lord from eternity, Who is Yehowah, came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human; and without this no mortal could have been saved; and those are saved who believe in Him.

     I will teach people to believe in the Lord; for by believing in Him there is conjunction with Him and thereby salvation.

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To believe in Him is to have confidence that He saves, and no one can have this confidence except him who lives well.

     I will teach people that to live well is to follow the commandments in the Lord's Word, and that all His commandments are for the sake of their eternal happiness, so that they may see that the Lord's yoke is easy and His burden is light.

     I pray that I may be the Lord's servant to help establish His New Church on the earth with people, that they may become angels in heaven and happy citizens of the Lord's kingdom on earth.

     I am filled with the hope that I might be an instrument for the Lord in His restoration of Conjugial Love; for Conjugial Love goes hand in hand with Religion.

     I swear to teach not from myself or for my own glory, but from the Lord and His Word for the glory of His name. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I swear that I believe and intend to do this. Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief. I will trust in Yehowah, my help and shield.

(Quotes and Ideas drawn from: Psalm 115:1, 10; Matt 11:30; AR 67, 956; TCR 2, 3, 297, 787, CL 79-81, 497.

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Eldergarten 2009 2009

Eldergarten 2009       Forrest Dristy       2009


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     Eldergarten is an educational experience for senior members and friends of the New Church. The first such event took place at the church in Boynton Beach under the direction of the Rev. Fred Schnarr in 1995. Its success and popularity led to numerous repeat performances which have resulted in a well established tradition. The most recent production of Eldergarten took place, again in Boynton Beach, from Sunday, January 18th to Friday, January 23rd with about 140 participants in attendance.

     The event got off to a good start Sunday evening with registration and a delicious buffet supper, which made a wonderful opportunity for us all to get acquainted, or re?acquainted, with the other senior students. Four of the following five days, Monday through Friday, were to be class days, that is days that would begin with a brief worship service followed by three lecture periods. The other day, Wednesday, was set aside as a day for sightseeing or recreation at the discretion of each participant.

     The educational content of the event was provided by three seasoned and distinguished lecturers who are well-known New Church clergymen. The Rt. Rev. Peter Buss spoke to us about the influence of our spiritual environment, with special and very appropriate attention to doctrinal teachings pertaining to old age. The Rev. George McCurdy drew on his expertise with the Minor Prophets to expound for us the interior spiritual meaning that lies within the literal sense of the book of Micah. The Rev. Walter Orthwein explained some of the profound teachings of Divine Love and Wisdom, relating them to all the discrete degrees of our lives. The lecture periods allowed time for questions and comments from the students, whose responses indicated clearly that the hoped-for exchange of knowledge was indeed taking place.

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     There were ample opportunities for socializing at the mid?morning coffee breaks and the lunch periods after each day's series of lectures. A major designated social event was the Tuesday evening reception at the Delray Beach Golf Club. And then of course there was that entire Wednesday that could be used for any number of social activities. A group of 43 participants went by bus to a famous attraction called Jungle Island down Miami way.

     There were trips to Flagler museum, the Palm Beach Zoo, Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, and Wakodahatchee Wetlands to name a few. Also four foursomes of golfers played in the Don Synnestvedt Memorial Golf Tournament, which was followed by a great dinner buffet at the Cypress Creek Country Club.

     Friday, the final day of Eldergarten, was a day of special significance. In addition to the usual lectures, it was the occasion of an afternoon Holy Supper service, which of course was the culminating sacrament of worship for the week. And finally, on Friday evening, we enjoyed a delightful banquet at the Delray Beach Golf Club. This last social gathering was not only a wonderful opportunity for lively conversation among the diners, but we were also treated to a humorous poetic account of the week's activities written and read by the Rev. Kurt Asplundh as well as inspirational final remarks by the Rt. Rev. Brian Keith.

     The 2009 Eldergarten was a clear demonstration that the numerous experienced committees involved, under the capable direction of Gale Arnoux, are more than up to the job of putting on an outstanding event in the best Eldergarten tradition. Those of us who were the beneficiaries are deeply grateful to the members of the Boynton Beach Society and to the talented lecturers who made it all possible.

     Forrest Dristy

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[Photograph of people at Eldergarten.]

     Eldergarten

[Photograph of Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Rev. George McCurdy and Rev. Walter Orthwein.]

     Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss, Rev. George McCurdy and Rev. Walter Orthwein

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President of Bryn Athyn College 2009

President of Bryn Athyn College       Editor       2009


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     General Church members and friends around the globe will be interested to hear that together with the tremendous explosion in building activity on the Bryn Athyn College Campus, shown briefly in earlier issues, the Academy Board of Trustees has recently voted to "establish the Position of President of Bryn Athyn College and to offer the job to Dr. Christopher M. Clark, effective July 1" of this year.

     The announcement by President of the Academy, Rev. Eric H. Carswell, continues: "Dr. Clark has more than three decades of experience in higher education, including chairing the Department of Education at the University of Delaware, and currently directing a doctoral program in Leadership and Innovation at Arizona State University. He has been a member of the General Church for 35 years and an active member of the Academy Corporation since 2003. He is very enthusiastic about leading Bryn Athyn College through this exciting period of anticipated growth."

     How many readers have attended the Academy Schools, or sent your sons and daughters to it? The expansion toward university status goes on apace, and you may rest assured that quality New Church Education leading to Baccalaureate degrees are available at Bryn Athyn College. There is also the Master of Arts in Religious Studies Post-Graduate degree beckoning as well, under the Academy Theological School aegis.

     The announcement by President Carswell also named "Stefanie D. Niles ... to serve as Vice President of Enrollment Management for Bryn Athyn College and the Academy Secondary Schools beginning in July 2009." The Admissions Building is taking shape for this future role. The Science Building also is receiving its roof. But the "ceiling" for New Church Education at Bryn Athyn is infinite.

     Ed.

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     The Brickman Center for Student Life and Admissions is taking shape, and will look like this in September 2009.

[Drawing of Brickman Center.]

     Below, the new Bryn Athyn College Campus, with the Doering Science Center on the left.

[Drawing of Doering Science Center.]

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     Olivet Church Society, Toronto


     Last year, 2008, the Olivet New Church School won the award for "Best Private School" in Etobicoke, the district where the Church is located in Toronto, Canada. The school is nominated for the same award this year. Good news from one of our longest existing General Church Societies. Congratulations, Olivet Society.

[Photograph of children in school.]

     From the Website of Olivet Church and School Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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Outreach Training Event 2009

Outreach Training Event              2009


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     May 10-13, 2009

     Understanding, Welcoming, Engaging and Enrolling

     New People in the Life of Your Church

     Hosted by Glenview New Church

     74 Park Drive Glenview, IL 60025

     Re-fuel, have fun, find new focus and energy

     Who should attend?

     - People looking to improve their local congregation's outreach and spiritual growth program enrollment efforts.

     - Leaders looking to recharge their batteries, get new ideas and energy for reaching out to people in their area.

     - Anyone passionate about the New Church and wanting to find more ways to share the transforming message with a greater audience.


     - Pastors, staff, volunteers, board members, leaders, ...you.

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     This year's training event will focus on enrolling new people into your congregation's spiritual growth campaigns. There will also be opportunities to explore the content of the next featured spiritual growth campaign, Living Courageously, with the authors.

     To register for this event:

     By e-mail: send the completed form below to Lydia.Boericke@newchurch.org By mail: send the completed form to Lydia Boericke, General Church Outreach, PO BOX 743, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009

     If you have questions or comments, please call 267-502-4915 Contact local Pastor for forms
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     It is recorded that in their garden or paradise were placed two trees, a tree of life and a tree of knowledge, the latter as a stumbling-block. Also, that from the mere eating of this tree they so far transgressed that not only they but the whole human race, their posterity, became subject to condemnation.... The interior truths involved in all these things which are contained in the spiritual sense that is in every detail of the story, may be seen explained in the ARCANA CAELESTIA, on Genesis and Exodus, published in London, from which it may be evident that by the tree of life is there meant the Lord in respect to His Divine Providence, and by the tree of knowledge is meant man in respect to his own prudence. Divine Providence 241:2 emphases added.

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Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue              2009


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     Announcements






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     We welcome back Lawson Smith, whose practical sermon actually depends on the Lord's combats in temptations. We can think of many benefits from the Easter event, here in child-rearing, a very appropriate area for our Savior to operate.

     We grieve with the Childs family over the departure of beloved Geoffrey Childs to the spiritual world. Walter Orthwein, a long-time colleague and friend, conducted the memorial service with the address, here included. We silently recall our friend and think of him often.

     In Justin Soderberg's article, submitted some time ago, we hear echoes of ancient dialogs put in up-to-date terse logic. How do Religion and Science face off, both through the ages and today?

     The book review this time is of the well-written What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?, by Rev. Robert Junge. The review is by theolog Ron Schnarr who had read it and enjoyed it very much. We welcome Ron to the pages of New Church Life!

     Another theolog, Ryan Sandstrom, had a neat experience in Missouri last summer, and based on his experience of talking to people about the New Church, came up with a useful list of Do's and Don'ts. We need reminders, since we may scare some good sheep away!

     Do you travel? What use can you make of conversation? Listen to some suggestions from Rev. Bob Cole, a long time practitioner of talking up the New Church on planes and trains.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     I am pleased to announce that the Rev. Michael D. Gladish has accepted a call from our Washington Society in Mitchellville, Maryland, to become their next Pastor. Mike and Ginny will be moving there this summer. We wish them and the congregation well in this endeavor. - Bishop's Office.

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LESSONS FROM THE LORD'S CHILDHOOD 2009

LESSONS FROM THE LORD'S CHILDHOOD       Rev. LAWSON M. SMITH       2009


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     A SERMON

"Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled. And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him came and attacked the Rephaim..." (Gen. 14:4-5)

     Chedorlaomer, the hero of this story, pre-figured the Lord in His first struggles against the spirits of hell. One of the most surprising things about this story is that the Lord fought and won these battles in His earliest childhood! Even though the Lord does not allow children to enter into real temptations until they reach adulthood, we can still learn some things about the states of children and how to help them from what the Word teaches us about the Lord's temptations in childhood. We can also see how the Lord is fighting for us as we study this story.

     In explaining the story of Chedorlaomer's wars, the Writings begin by pointing out that a person has to be taught from the Word what is right and wrong before he or she can go through temptations. Everyone fights in temptations by means of the ideals or truths he has learned. These are the standard by which he judges that certain things are harmful and need to be changed in his life. This is why people do not face temptations until they have grown into the full use of their own understanding and judgment, and can make their own choices.

     The Lord Jesus had to be taught like any other child. The only difference was that He learned more quickly, more fully and more perfectly than others (True Christian Religion 89). That's why His understanding and answers astonished the rabbis in the Temple when He was only twelve years old. But He came to the Temple because He needed to learn about the Word with the help of the rabbis. As the Lord became educated, He was increasingly able to judge between good and evil.

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He saw the need to separate Himself from worldly, un-heavenly things in His outer nature, which He had by way of His mother.

     So we read that for twelve years, the five kings led by the king of Sodom served Chedorlaomer and his allies. During infancy and childhood, the evil spirits do not rise up and attack, but serve. Weaknesses present with a person from birth by heredity are not apparent to a child in early life, until he or she has been taught, and has gained enough maturity to reflect on what's happening inside himself. Chedorlaomer stands for the states of good and truth with children, before they are old enough to make judgments for themselves (See Arcana Coelestia 2280:2). These states keep the evil spirits mostly under control. Although children can be naughty, naughtiness or good behavior are not freely and rationally chosen states with them but impulsive actions, so evil doesn't cling to them, for the most part.

     As long as a person is in the good states of infancy and childhood, evil spirits do not dare to introduce any evil. We can see this from the states of infants, well-disposed children, and the simple in heart. Evil spirits remain in subjection, because the child has not yet got wrapped up in lusts for worldly things. As long as a person has not begun to do evil deliberately from delight, the Lord keeps evil spirits under control. This is Chedorlaomer, ruling for twelve years.

     These teachings point out an important parental responsibility. We can help our children avoid or at least delay getting themselves caught up in worldly lusts. We can do this by exercising discretion over the things they read, what they watch on TV and the kinds of games they play. We can practice some restraint on the number and kinds of toys they are given. We can emphasize the giving and receiving of love, and the opportunity to share our things with others, as being more important and more fun than the acquisition of things.

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We can make life much easier for our children by good discipline while they're young, rewarding good behavior and removing rewards or punishing bad behavior. We are helping them get started in life with good habits instead of bad ones. Although they are not making their own choices at this stage, we can help them start making their own choices, pointed in the right direction.

     Some people imagine that it is useful to expose their children to evils while the parents are present to discuss them and provide perspective. While there can be some truth to this when children are reaching adulthood, there is also a great value in avoiding unnecessary issues, especially while children are younger. Evil can be very attractive or frightening or both, and can scar a child's memory. It provides something the hells can stir up over and over again. Ignorance is an important protection for the innocence with childhood states. Let's not be the ones to tear it away from them. If through peers or other influences, an evil is becoming an issue in a child's life, we must by all means address it carefully, but meanwhile, let it wait till later.

     As people grow toward adulthood, the hereditary weaknesses with them will emerge, no matter how carefully they have been raised or how compliant their disposition. Then people need to be able to rely on their own conscience, that is, their sense of the Lord's leading them, personally, by the Word. This points out another crucial parental responsibility: to lay the foundations for a good conscience, beginning in infancy, by teaching our children about the Word. Like the Lord when He was a Child, they need to learn as much as they can from the Word, so they can be greatly enriched with heavenly ideals and strong values. We can help children learn the stories of the Word with delight, especially if they see that we ourselves enjoy the Word and hold it in reverence. If children see that their parents care so much that they set aside regular time to read and think about the Word, such as family worship, or reading in the morning or evening, and the parents refer to the Word in discussions and decisions, this example will give them a great deal of support in establishing their own conscience.

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We will be helping them get equipped with weapons for their spiritual defense.

     We cannot expect children to have a spiritual conscience. A person's first conscience is fear of the laws of the home and school and fear of the loss of parents' and teachers' approval. Children need a warm sphere of love, so they really miss it when they disobey. They need a consistent sense of reward and punishment to learn what is right and wrong and to establish a sense of security in doing what is right. The second level of conscience is moral, based on a love of a good reputation. It comes with an understanding of what works in human society and why. The golden rule, to treat others as we wish to be treated, appeals to the moral level of our thinking. Before adulthood, we can know from others but cannot see for ourselves that certain things are sins against the Lord, as well as against other people. Adults need to protect teen-agers from making serious mistakes, as much as they can, while also allowing them to sort things out and practice living according to conscience as of themselves. When we are willing to give our time to be with our children and patiently explain our understanding of why the Lord forbids certain behavior and why it won't work to act that way, we are helping them build up a strong base for a spiritual conscience.

     "But in the thirteenth year they rebelled." As a young man or woman is reaching toward adulthood, he or she becomes more familiar with the pleasures of the world and more confident of his or her own abilities. Then the evil spirits present with the person begin to rebel against the restraining influence of the juvenile conscience. This rebellion, though, creates opportunities for an adolescent to really test the assumptions he has been operating with from infancy, and if he is willing, strengthen what is good and true in them.

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     "And in the fourteenth year Chedorlaomer came, and the kings who were with him, and struck the Rephaim..." This is a picture of the Lord overcoming the evil spirits present with a young person. Chedorlaomer and his allies, however, allowed some of the enemies to escape, and also carried away Abram's nephew Lot as a captive from Sodom. As the story continues, Abram gathers together his allies, overtakes Chedorlaomer and attacks him, and rescues Lot. So we can see that Chedorlaomer represents an imperfect state which needs to be replaced by something better later on. The Writings say that the main quality that is lacking in the Chedorlaomer state is the acknowledgement that the victory is the Lord's. We cannot help but feel that our principles and our will-power are our own. Even the Lord, when He was a child, fought on the basis of this appearance, that power belonged to human nature. Later on, though, He overcame that appearance.

     We should allow children to have a sense of pride in the good they do. We read in the lesson, "The goods of infancy, ...although they appear good, are not good as long as hereditary evil contaminates them...but still they must be called good, as long as they are in an infant or child who does not yet know what is truly good. The ignorance excuses him, and the innocence makes it appear as good" (Arcana Coelestia 1667:2).

     It is important for us to recognize the good things children do and call them good, even though there is a sense of merit in them. The innocence with them really is good, even though it's not by rational choice. If we qualify our approval too much, children will get the sense that nothing is really good, which would be destructive of the idealism they need. The only thing we must discourage is a sense of contempt for others in comparison with themselves. Even as adults, we all need a pat on the back and a sense of pride in our ways of life. The only difference is that we are able to reflect, and then to understand and believe that all the good we do is from the Lord.

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     Let us help the Lord win battles for our children, and for ourselves. We can steer away from leading ourselves and our children into temptation. We can build in our homes and in our church a growing love for the Word. And we can be encouraging to each other in doing what is right, even while we remember that the goodness is the Lord's. Amen.

Lessons: Genesis 14:1-12, Arcana Coelestia 1667:2-4Arcana Caelestia 1667. 'Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer' means that evils and falsities did not reveal themselves in childhood but were subservient to apparent goods and truths....

AC 1667:2 ...The goods that belong to earliest childhood... though they appear to be good are not in fact good as long as hereditary evil is befouling them, for they have ingrained in them and clinging to them that which derives from self-love and love of the world. At that time, whatever belongs to self-love or love of the world appears to be good, but it is not. Nevertheless it must still be called good as long as it is in an infant or child, who as yet does not know what is truly good. Their ignorance excuses it, and their innocence makes it appear as good. But the situation is different when a person has been instructed and knows what good and evil are. Such good and truth as exist with a child before instruction is meant by Chedorlaomer.

     AC 1667:3. Their being subservient for twelve years means the whole time that such good and truth remain, for in the internal sense 'twelve' means all things constituting the faith that belongs to charity, that is, faith springing from charity... And as long as such good and truth reside in a person, whether in childhood or in any other period of life, evils and falsities can achieve nothing, that is, evil spirits do not dare do anything or initiate anything evil, as is quite evident in the case of infants, well-behaved children, and simple hearted people. With them, even though evil spirits, that is, the worst of the devil's crew, were present, they could nevertheless achieve absolutely nothing, but they are held in subjection, which is the meaning here of their serving Chedorlaomer twelve years.

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AC 1667:4. The reason they are kept in subjection during that time and are subservient is that the individual has not yet acquired to himself a sphere of evil desires and of falsities. Indeed evil spirits and genii are not allowed to operate except into those things a person has acquired through his own actions, not into those he has by heredity. Consequently before a person acquires such spheres to himself, evil spirits are subservient; but as soon as he does acquire them, those evil spirits present with him stream in and try to gain dominion, for they are then situated within his own sphere, and there find a certain delight or their very life: "where the carcass is there will the eagles be gathered together." (Matthew 24:28)

     The Rev. Lawson M. Smith was inaugurated into the priesthood in 1979, and ordained as Pastor in 1981. He first served as Assistant to the Pastor in Washington, Mitchellville society, also visiting Baltimore society, at that time a Convention church. In1981 Lawson shifted to be Assistant Pastor, voted in by the Washington Society, and in 1982 added the role of Principal of the Church School there. He continued visiting in Virginia areas. In 1983, he took over there as Pastor, still visiting, until 1993 when he accepted a call to be Pastor of the Durban Society, South Africa, being also headmaster of the Kainon School. From 2000 to the present, Lawson has served as Pastor of the Kempton Society, Pa, and Principal of its school. Lawson lives with his wife Shanon (Junge) in Kempton, PA.

[Photograph of Rev. Lawson Smith.]

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MEMORIAL ADDRESS: GEOFFREY CHILDS 2009

MEMORIAL ADDRESS: GEOFFREY CHILDS        Rev. WALTER E. ORTHWEIN       2009


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     Winter, cold and grey, is a hard season, but it has its beauty also. As the afternoon deepened into dusk on the last day of Geoffrey's life on earth snow was falling; large flakes drifting slowly down. Soon the hard ground and bare trees were covered with a soft drapery of purest white. And there was that wonderful quiet that you get on a snowy winter evening.

     Even in our winters the Lord is with us, gently comforting, blessing us with moments of stillness, beauty and peace. The Lord who walked the hard ground with us, the Lord who also felt the thorns of life and was acquainted with grief, is an ever present Help in time of trouble.

     In fact, the Writings tell us, He is especially present in those times. And it is in those times, of course, that we especially feel the need of His presence, and turn to Him, and remember His promise: "I will not leave you comfortless."

     The troubles of this world, and the continual reminders we receive of how fleeting life in it is, are useful because they cause us to look to a hope beyond this earth. There is something deeply implanted in human nature that inspires us to value and desire and seek for eternal things.

[Photograph of Rev. Geoffrey Childs.]

     And not only is there this instinctive dissatisfaction and frustration with the limitations of earthly life, but from time immemorial the truth that there is another life, that there is a heaven, has been proclaimed in the Word of the Lord, and in the doctrine and preaching of the church derived from the Word.

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     The pure truths of the Word, each individual one like an exquisite crystal from heaven, are like a snowfall that covers even the hard realities of natural life with gentler truth from a higher reality; with beauty and peace.

     It appears as if the earth had died in winter, but we know it is only resting, in preparation for the spring. And when springtime comes, the cold and bleakness of winter will be forgotten. Here is a lesson from our Creator, built into nature itself; a natural message we are able to understand because it reflects the spiritual truth we have gotten from the Word ..... namely, that old age and death, the winter of life, are followed by the eternal springtime of heaven.

     New Church people do not need to be convinced of the reality of heaven, but still, the reality of it is worth reflecting on. It's important because the purpose of life in this world is to prepare for life in heaven. The more real heaven is to us, the more the idea of it is present in our minds, ordering all our thoughts, the better our understanding and experience of this world can be.

     Simply put, heaven is a state of closeness to the Lord. It is His presence with a person that brings the innocence and peace, the love and wisdom, and all the delights that make heaven heavenly. So another way of stating the purpose of life in this world is that it is to grow close to the Lord; through all our experiences, happy and sad, to grow closer to the Lord.

     ".... the Divine Providence is over everything," we are told; "it is in the smallest details of a person's life. And those who are in the stream of Providence are all the time carried along toward everything that is happy, whatever may be the appearance of the means. And those are in the stream of Providence who put their trust in the Divine and attribute all things to Him; and.... insofar as anyone is in the stream of Providence, so far he is in a state of peace..." (A 8478, added emphasis).

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     The phrase "whatever may be the appearance of the means" brings Geoffrey to mind, because I know that he suffered some hard things in his life, and had felt deep sadness. Such things, we know from the Writings, are only permitted by the Lord if some good can come from them; if in some way they will serve to purify and strengthen our spirit.

     But other phrases from that "stream of providence" passage seem even more appropriate in describing Geoffrey, namely: "carried along toward everything that is happy," and "in a state of peace." Any sad experiences Geoffrey had were overruled by trust in the Divine, and the inner peace and happiness that trust brings.

     In the spiritual world, everyone has a sphere that goes forth from him or her and affects others. It is similar in this world, but we're not as sensitive to it and it is not so obvious - but it is there, and we do sense it. In fact, it is not just people, but everything that has a sphere around it; we can get an idea of this especially from the fragrance of flowers; in fact, in the spiritual world, spheres are often perceived as aromas or odors of various kinds.

     Geoffrey Childs had about him a sphere of peace; in fact, of innocence and peace, of love and contentment. In all the conversations and messages from near and far which there have been about him in the past few days, two words are repeated again and again: "gentle and wise."

     To say he was gentle is just another way of saying he was loving, caring, sensitive, and compassionate. His wisdom was the perception that comes from love - love of the Lord and love of the neighbor; and also conjugial love, for there is no real wisdom without it. His wisdom had in it absolute confidence in the Lord and His Word, as well as deep study and reflection upon the truths of doctrine. And his wisdom rested on firmly held principles.

     There were other flavors in his sphere, also, especially an almost childlike playfulness and sense of fun - a most useful quality in a father of eight children.

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     It is difficult - or let's say incomplete - to explain the New Church to people unfamiliar with it, because it is not just an organization or a set of "beliefs." It is about the way those beliefs affect people who have assimilated them into their lives. The faith of the New Church lives from its Divine Source, the Heavenly Doctrine, and it lives in actual human beings whose lives have been formed and transformed by that teaching.

     As we know, an affection for truth is essential if we are really to imbibe any truth and come into the life it represents. But what a cold and abstract thing "truth" would be if we could not see it embodied in actual persons; given texture and color and flavor by their personalities.

     We don't just love good, we love the good in another person; we don't just love truth, we love the truth in another person. The Lord affects us with goodness and truth by means of our affection for other persons.

     Geoffrey Childs taught many doctrinal classes during his life - right up to the end. He preached many sermons, he wrote several books, he led several schools. But by far the most powerful teaching he did was simply by the way he lived and who he was.

     What could he possibly say about conjugial love, for instance, that would be as affecting as the love he had for his wife Helga, which he so often spoke of, and which was so evident? He loved that doctrine, and studied it deeply; but more than that, the reality it describes is one he was intimately acquainted with.

     But since we remember that conjugial love comes through the wife to the husband, when we say Geoffrey was a great teacher and example we really mean Geoffrey and Helga together. It could not have been any other way, and he certainly would not have had it any other way.

     There is another way in which the relationship of the natural to the spiritual is important when we consider what Geoffrey stood for. He had a strong belief, developed in his first book, The Golden Thread, that the sciences of this natural world can be used to help people spiritually.

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     There are two foundations of truth, the Word and nature, and they complement each other. Knowledge derived from nature (including natural observation and study of human nature, such as in the science of psychiatry) can serve to remove obstacles that stand in the way of our spiritual development. Support for this is found in the section in Divine Providence which explains that natural conditions, such as physical or mental illness, can impede our regeneration.

     Geoffrey was born in New York City, but his parents, Geoffrey Childs Sr. and Olivia Waelchli Childs, moved to Huntingdon Valley two weeks later, and then into a house on South avenue in Bryn Athyn.     

     Geoffrey's grandfather was Walter Childs, one of the founders of the Academy, who was known for his poetry and musical talent; and the musical gene is strong in the Childs family to this day. Geoffrey himself played the accordion, a little piano, and had quite a repertoire of songs just right for singing with the family on road trips.

     In his youth, he was a gifted athlete, and is still remembered by those who knew him then as an outstanding basketball and football player. His sons claim he finally retired from the very competitive family basketball games only when they became good enough to beat him, even when he cheated! But his love of sports remained with him throughout his life.

     Geoffrey was inspired to become a minister during his service in the Army in Europe in World War II. The war was nearing its end, but he was in some combat, and he was present at the liberation of Dachau, so he saw some hard things. It was when he saw fellow soldiers (many of whom did not come back) praying for their lives before battle that he decided to become a minister.

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     Geoffrey and Helga Synnestvedt were married in 1951 and last September celebrated their 57th anniversary. They had eight children, six boys and two girls, and now have twenty-nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

     It is a large, affectionate, talented family, with a special talent for having good times together. As one of their daughters-in-law, Jenny Childs, said one time, holding up a group photograph of their large family: "Look at all that's come from the love between you two!"

     Geoffrey's first congregation after being ordained was in downtown Philadelphia. After that, he was pastor in Kitchener, where he led in establishing the Caryndale church community. Then he came to Detroit, and while pastor there laid the groundwork for the Oak Arbor church community.

     We'll digress here just to say that it was in Michigan that Geoffrey met a young minister from the Convention branch of the New Church, now an old retired minister in the General Church .... who is, for the moment, incapable of expressing how much he owes to that meeting, or rather, to the man he met then. To say he was a good friend doesn't seem enough, and yet it says it all.

     The more general point is: Geoffrey took an interest in people. To an amazing degree, he reached out to others - including people outside the New Church. He cared about them, and connected with them. You could see that he felt the joy of another as joy in himself .... which is the definition of love (DLW 47).

     Returning to Geoffrey's long years of service to the church: after Detroit, he became pastor in Toronto, as well as the Bishop's representative for all of Canada, and later to Europe and the world.

     Then he was called to become president of the Academy. I remember him calling to tell me right after he received the news, and he said he was so excited when the bishop phoned him that when he hung up the phone he somehow managed to smash his glasses!

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     Philadelphia, Kitchener, Detroit, Toronto, Bryn Athyn .... all those years, during which Geoffrey and Helga raised their family, experienced various joys, and some heartaches, too - including the death of their daughter Heather and their granddaughter Annica.

     And then, in retirement, in 1992, they started a whole new, very significant and wonderful chapter in their life, in South Africa. They arrived there during a very difficult time - the country was on the verge of civil war, and the church was also very fragmented. Against the background of apartheid, which ended during their time there, and all the tension and mistrust between the races, Geoffrey worked to establish the General Church Corporation in South Africa, bridging the races and bringing them together into one organization. It was an enormous and extremely delicate task, and he accomplished it with great wisdom and compassion.

     The pastor in Johannesburg at the time, the Rev. Andy Dibb (now dean of the Theological School in Bryn Athyn), observed first-hand what a marvelous job Geoffrey did of holding the South African church together.

     As Bishop's Representative in South Africa, Geoffrey presided over many meetings in Harrismith, between Johannesburg and Durban, and his unique personality - his gentleness, his sensitivity, his calmness, his love of the doctrines, his fairness and his firm principles - made him greatly loved and respected by both the white and the black people.

     Geoffrey and Helga always had a sense of adventure and loved to explore new places, and they found a wealth of unique and beautiful spots in Africa, a number of which Helga captured in paintings, and which they both described eloquently in letters.

     They loved the Valley of a Thousand Hills. They loved a scenic drive called the Garden Route. They loved the Indian Ocean.

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They were captivated by the whole incredible landscape of South Africa, and, as in all the places they served, they formed close and lasting friendships.

     As their time in South Africa drew to a close, Geoffrey and Helga made one last good-by visit to every society there, accompanied by their granddaughter Athena. Then, in 1999, they came home to Cairnwood Village, where Geoffrey continued to give doctrinal classes until just a short while ago when he was no longer able.

     It was while in South Africa that Geoffrey wrote his second book, The Path, based on the revelation in the Arcana Coelestia about the Lord's inner life and glorification. He and Helga have been working on another book together, about their time in South Africa, drawing from the many letters they wrote from there.

     In his final illness, Geoffrey was, as always, cheerful and welcoming to visitors. "Have a seat," he'd say, and squeeze your hand. And even when he could hardly speak any more, he managed to smile warmly at visitors and squeeze their hands and tell them he loved them. His sphere was as strong as ever.

     And as peaceful as ever. He loved the fact that he was in his own room, with his books on the shelves next to the bed, and that he could see the sky out the window. "It's so peaceful," he managed to say, even when he could hardly speak any more.

     About a month ago Helga noticed that he had let go of the work he had been so engaged in, and just turned it over to the Lord. This was not a relinquishing of usefulness, but the fulfillment of it in a state of peace. As we read earlier: "The pleasure in being useful carries him along, like a boat in a favoring current, bringing him into a state of eternal peace and the rest that comes with peace. This is what is meant by eternal rest from labors" (CL 207.7).

     We've spoken about Geoffrey's wisdom and compassion and strong principles, but before ending there's one more word I want to mention.

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He was a fun person to be around. He loved sports. He loved music and singing. He read constantly, a wide range of books, mostly serious literature but also adventure and mystery novels. He loved the beauties of nature; he loved taking drives in the country and exploring new places; he loved art exhibits; and going to nice restaurants.

     Toronto is a very nice city, but seen through Geoffrey's eyes it was downright magical. The same with Gorand Bend on Lake Huron in Ontario, and going to lunch at the Red Pump Inn a few miles away in Bayfield. Going to New Hope is a nice drive, but it has special significance for me because I can never go there without thinking of Geoffrey and Helga, who introduced us to that place and the surrounding countryside.

     And then there's Bryn Athyn: I remember walking around the Cathedral on June 19th in 1976, a beautiful summer night, with the moon out and the Cathedral all lit up - and Geoffrey, who was about to head back to Toronto, said he felt bad about leaving me here, on my own, sort of, in a new place. "But Geoffrey," I said, "just look where you're leaving me!" What I meant was: look at the beautiful place you brought me to - meaning not the place so much, but the church.

     Geoffrey had a kind of quiet exuberance about him. One of his characteristic gestures was to raise both fists in a kind of victory sign. He did it a couple of times even near the end when he was hardly conscious. I can imagine him in the world of spirits, looking back over his life - his wonderful family, all the friends who loved him so, all he accomplished for the New Church, all the beautiful and interesting places he went - and I can just see him lifting his fists that way and saying: WHAT A LIFE! Amen.

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SCIENCE AND RELIGION 2009

SCIENCE AND RELIGION       JUSTIN SODERBERG       2009


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     Discussions of evolution and of science seem to miss their context and their key considerations. The scientific theory of biological evolution regards reproduction of natural characteristics (body, including its brain, but not its mind) of a member of a collective (a specie) which has adapted to or adopted some conditions (an order (not Linnean)). And every science is a theory (or a set of theories) of evolution(s).

     A science is a highly tested correspondence to our natural world of the most consistent comprehensive interrelated array of explanatory factors possible. A science's theory and its model explains more, predicts more crucial tests, survives more types of repeatable tests than alternative theories, and is thus defeasible-able to be nullified, voided and eliminated. (This will suffice for here. "What is science?" is quite a difficult problem, which gets careful consideration, and whose productive glimmers appear for the most part only in "arcane" professional journals.)

     Almost every theory and model ever invented is found, understood and agreed null, void and eliminated: the best will always be replaced by a better one. Science is defeasible. Science limits itself solely to sense data and reasoning about sense data, including causes, solely of our natural world. Science cannot touch divine matters, and scientists as scientists cannot make scientifically valid statements about divine matters. Science cannot validly speak to or deny any non-natural claim about God or divine influence in the physical world. No claim about God or divine influence can be proven. (A bit more on this below, but I can merely assert some aspects.) No one can validly speak scientifically about any sense data as divine, in whole or in part.

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     Anyone can make reasoned statements about a conjectured interface between some divine concept and some sensory concept, even making use of scientific concepts when scientifically handled for philosophical purposes, but then all such claims are philosophical. For example, free will cannot be proven absolutely, but it is quite widely assumed. Given that free will exists in every man, there can be no absolute proof of this or proof of any human knowledge. The reason is that man's knowledge is open, meaning it cannot be proven absolutely, but is instead quite widely assumed. Given that man's knowledge is

     i. open or possible, ii. is of infinite possibilities iii. and is always changing in its nature, character and extent, there can consequently be no absolute proof of any human knowledge.

     Absolute proof is, however, not necessary and sufficient proof suffices in mathematics and science vis-a-vis Kurt Godel's1, Alonzo Church's2, and Paul J. Cohen's3 findings. By the same token, no science concept can rule out or deny God. For example, sun-centered planet systems say nothing and imply nothing about God. The "big bang" theory says nothing and implies nothing about God. Evolution says nothing and implies nothing about God.

     Still, the Catholic Church seriously prosecuted some natural theories, until after both relativity theory and quantum theory. Some Protestant clergy and Protestant laypeople have seriously prosecuted biology for its theory. By contrast, the American, French and other Revolutions were fought for freedom, in part from government or church-mandated teaching of some clergy's indefeasible natural theory.

     Every science is a theory of evolution. Every theory in physics, the science of (natural) change, is a theory of evolution (e.g., electromagnetic theory, thermodynamics, relativity theory, quantum theory, complex dynamic systems theory). Chemistry, cosmology, astronomy, geology, biology, embryology, virology, economics et al. explain natural change and development.

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In physics, geology, biology and virology, randomness has a key role only within a interrelated interactive matrix of natural "laws". Evolved mechanisms, however, virtually eliminate randomness in embryology. Moreover, free will and contingency are jointly key in every other science. Furthermore, a human mind's awareness of its ignorance and its errorful ways, monitoring and checking, and possible error corrections, are not blind nor random. Finally, randomness is of no consequence to religion, for God created the world and its laws. Science does not and never will have all the answers.

     Science has made no progress on most matters and may never make much, if any, progress on some, e.g., free will, love. On the other hand, the only real concern of religion is ethics and its moral application. God can communicate with a person using only concepts and concerns of that person's own day. The Bible's basic predictions are the Savior's Comings and a final judgment of each person.

     Religion and science are distinct and disjoint (but can be complementary):

     ? Religion requires and relies on sources and ends. Science cannot deal with infinite regress or ends.

     ? Religion cannot test. Science must test.

     ? Religion is solely a person's motives and intentions. Science is solely concepts' correspondence with the natural world.

     ? Religion has no anomalies, except interpretation, which should rely on mercy and charity. Science always will have anomalies, for science is open.

     ? Religion makes spiritual predictions, i.e., regarding motives and intentions. Science makes natural predictions.

     ? Religions' competing concepts are never voided nor eliminated. Sciences' competing concepts are always voided and eliminated.

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     Biological evolution is attacked by some, but not by all, Protestants and by no other religion. All present pertinent evidence supports biological evolution and none contradicts it. There are, of course, some interpretive difficulties, as there are of the Bible, but in science these tend to be clarified in time, as they have not been clarified in religion (unless one accepts Swedenborg's Arcana Caelestia). There are gaps in the chains of evidence, but none work against the theory, as, for example, there are in the chain of evidence in criminal trials; but these do not rule out bringing to trial and justice attempted. All sciences always have gaps in their chains of events, but correct predictions still continue, - until an anomaly appears and, characteristic of science, science changes! None of these events seem to happen in religion, however.

     Currently, biological evolution apparently relies on blind random chance. However,

     ? every hypothesis of science is a problem's most reasonable defeasible conjecture, which conjecture may change, and, even so, problems will always remain;

     ? biological evolution may work by "the method of trial and error elimination [which] does not operate with completely chance-like or random trials...even though the trials may look pretty random [as] there must be at least an 'after-effect'.... For the organism is constantly learning from its mistakes, that is, it establishes controls which suppress or eliminate, or at least reduce the frequency of, certain possible trials";4 for example, the organism to some extent chooses its environment, notes Popper elsewhere;

     ? "...the invention of the genetic code through selection...: It may be conjectured that the genetic code guides the synthesis of proteins...by the prevention or elimination of certain potential chemical syntheses rather than by direct [physical] stimulation or guidance; it would turn its apparent instructions into prohibitions, the result of error elimination and...the genetic code would be not only the result of selection, but would operate by selection or prohibition or prevention [akin to learning]."5

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     ? complex dynamic systems theory (far-from-equilibrium non-linear non-determined non-random processes yielding complex self-organized structures) may change the theory of biological evolution and the theorizing of chemical kinetics.

     Regarding chemical kinetics, while reaction rates of 10-8 second and 109 interacting combinants are known, we know little of the necessary conditions and we do not know (have no theory of) why or how they work. Perhaps a complex dynamic systems theoretic quantum effect synchronization plays a role. Femtochemistry, extremely fast chemical reactions, 10-18 seconds and faster, which behave radically differently, uncovered by the late 1980s, opens another window on unforeseen unknown chemical kinetics and may impact biology's theory of evolution.

     Science, most philosophy and our culture see our world as a matter of observation. They believe that there are clear and distinct ideas, manifest truth. And they believe that there is conflict between human falsity, delusion and self-creation/artifice on the one hand versus pure, true, natural reality on the other. But observation is theory driven.     And clear and distinct ideas, while very desirable, guarantee neither truth nor certainty and are always appearances. Truth is not obvious, even when "uncovered", for science is counter-intuitive. Our truths are always mixed with falsities and with our immoral behavior. Every religion in effect tells us that we intentionally devolved away from our pure, true, intended Eden state.

     God would create the world "from" outside of time, possibly introducing time as 1 dimension of 4, or 1 of 11. God would create man at an unknown and irrelevant "moment": one moment man does not exist, then man exists.

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Man exists implies that religion/morality exists. It would be irrelevant that certain beings strictly and distinctly split ways at one time, and that those subsequent beings eventually became the wholly different beings, various hominid types and various ape types. In an instant, God would endow all members of one type of being each with a soul which became a mind. That science and most philosophers do not deal with or recognize 'mind' is irrelevant to religion, for science is not valid out of its bounds.

     It is impossible for a person to convert another to religion by authority as there is no certainty in humankind's religious concepts. For free-willed beings there is no external compulsion; there is no absolute, necessary idea that compels one against one's will, for in free will, the only author is freely accepting, acknowledging and cooperating.

     Literalists want absolute and certain answers. However, literalists refuse to acknowledge the entire context of the Bible and the science and each's background (e.g., as God is Love, God is never angry, does not take vengeance, does not punish and, while God meets and reasons in dialogue, I suggest God does not otherwise fight). Literalists seek the same (or greater) powers as science appears to have, but do not know that science is not certain and is not absolute. The Bible does not take itself as science.

     Protestant Bishop Berkeley feared that science's power of success without using divine revelation would take away religion's authority. But God's revelation is about what? It is about our relations with other human beings. I strongly suggest that God's relation with each of us is not authoritarian in reason, in emotion or in attitude.

     I have tried to show that science and religion cannot conflict and do not conflict, indicate key features of science and religion and how such features are important, and suggest what create an apparent conflict.

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Those who take Paul in the way common today believe their understanding is the pure certain truth, believe in Paul's church militant against natural philosophy (science) and believe "...the weapons of our warfare...have divine power to...destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God and take every thought captive to obey Christ."6 Cor. II.10.4-5

1 Kurt Godel (1906-1978), Austrian-American logician, mathematician and philosopher. One of the most significant logicians of all time, Godel made an immense impact upon scientific and philosophical thinking in the 20th century.
2 Alonzo Church (1903-1995), an American mathematician and logician who made major contributions in mathematical logic, and the foundations to theoretical computer science.
3 Paul Joseph Cohen (1934-2007), an emeritus professor of mathematics famed for work on "Set Theory and the Continuum Hypothesis" and 1966 winner of the world's top math prize.
4 The 2nd Arthur H, Compton Memorial Lecture, K. R. Popper, in Objective Knowledge, 1972, 1978 et. seq., p. 245 fn. 55.
5 Third International Congress for Logic, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, K. R. Popper, in its Proceedings, 1968; in Objective Knowledge, 1972, 1978 et seq., p. 150: slightly edited.
6 This is seen by the social sciences sociology and political science and by the philosophies of religion and of ethics. Is this regardless of (or in unreconciled contradiction to) our free will? Is this spiritual interference?

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LORD OUR SAVIOR 2009

LORD OUR SAVIOR       Editor       2009


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     That the Lord came into the World to save the entire human race, has been a Christian creed now for 2000 years and running. The Writings explain to the New Church how He saved us: He took on our nature by birth, giving the same access to the hells which tempts all of us, to tempt Him! He drew their fire away from us. By single-handed combat against all evils, from A to Z, He removed the hells from the world of spirits which they were infesting and where they were rampant. By the Last Judgment performed on the cross, all those infesting hordes entered hell by the same "leave" as the legions of demons left the man possessed and entered the herd of swine. Coming into their own elements, with no elegance whatever, they rushed hell bent into the lake, i.e. "hell." Thereby the Lord restored to the human race the freedom to overcome those same but now conquered evils. We still have to conquer them, individually, as they occur in our heredity, i.e. among the neutered hereditary tendencies to those same evils. We overcome them on our own, but in His name, i.e. by turning to Him in His Word. The Holy Supper outlines the entire process, although it is in daily life that the actual combats take place: we just prepare for those battles at the Sacrament. Successful repentance and salvation is thereby guaranteed, by the Lord, who "once having conquered, always conquers" (AC 9718, 9715, 8273). Provided, of course, that we do the work of regeneration: shun the evil prompt in the act, when most tempted to succumb.

     The Lord performed the actual conquest of the hells all through His life. He acquired power over hell on the Human level for that length of time. That was His "work of redemption" - all through Life, not only on the cross. However, only in three places in the Gospels are these temptations mentioned.

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"More were not disclosed to the disciples. The things that were disclosed appear in the sense of the letter so slight as to be scarcely anything; for to speak and to answer in this manner is no temptation, when yet His temptation was more grievous than can ever be comprehended and believed by any human mind" (AC 1690). So the temptations related in Matthew 4.1-11, Mark 1.12, 13, Luke 4.1-13, the Writings explain, "contains all temptations in a summary; namely, that from love toward the whole human race, the Lord fought against the loves of self and of the world, with which the hells were filled" (op. cit. emphasis added). Since "all temptation is an assault upon the love in which the man is, and the temptation is in the same degree as is the love" (ibid), and since the Lord fought from an "inmost love for the salvation of the entire human race" (AC 1812), one can gauge how great was the pain He suffered! "The Lord when a boy, had perception. With those who have conscience a dull pain arises, but with those who have perception intense pain; and the more interior the perception, the more intense is that pain. From this it becomes clear what the temptation of the Lord, who had interior and inmost perception, was like in comparison with men's" (AC 1668:2). That is to say, our temptations are puny by comparison.

     This is also why the Lord was tempted even to death on the cross, thus culminating an entire life-time of suffering: "He was tempted even to the death on the cross, and thus to the last hour of His life in the world. Hence it is evident that the whole of the Lord's life in the world, from His earliest childhood, was continual temptation and continual victory. The last was when He prayed on the cross for His enemies, and thus for all in the whole world" (AC 1690). Imagine praying for and forgiving those who anger us most, at the point of experiencing the greatest pain! That is the meaning of "turning the other cheek." It is actually satisfying to overcome one of the most common examples of temptation, namely anger against others, by not taking vengeance or even being spiteful.

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The guilty party tends to implode at that. For every evil has its own penalty attached.

     It is at this critical point that the Writings correct a 2000 year-old misunderstanding that became a heresy: that the Lord suffered and died for our sins. From that has come the idea that "...by the passion of the cross the Lord took away sins, and made satisfaction to the Father, and so effected Redemption" (here citing the "wrong" belief. Lord 15). However, they correct this and say this is not the case, even though it sounds like it from Isaiah "He hath borne our diseases, and carried our sorrows: He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His wound has health been given us. Jehovah hath made to fall on Him the iniquities of us all. He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet opened not His mouth. He is led as a lamb to the slaughter" (53:4-12). However, this quote does make it clear that the Lord suffered from our transgressions. So instead, the Lord "BY THE PASSION OF THE CROSS DID NOT TAKE AWAY SINS, BUT BORE THEM" (Lord 15, title). Bearing sins means suffering the pain of them. "To bear iniquities means to endure grievous temptations; and also to suffer [those] to treat Him as they had treated the Word, which they did because He was the Word" (Lord 15). In other words, the Lord suffered the same pain we suffer, just because He took on the identical human heredity we have, and being also the Word made flesh. That means He suffers because of our evils, from "our transgressions." The hells, seeing in the Lord the very Truth Divine (AC 2813) surrounded by the evil tendencies of mankind, - in which they were the experts - launched into the Lord as the "Son of Man." This title, the Son of Man, is everywhere in the Gospels said to suffer, be persecuted and crucified (see Matt. 20:18-19, 26:45. Mark 8:31, 9:12, 31, 10:33-34, etc., AC 2813).

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The Lord as the Son of Man suffered the temptations from our tendencies, overcame them and in victory is now the Divine Human, the Lord God our Savior Jesus Christ. He is our Mediator, having intermediated for us.

     It is therefore from human freely chosen evil deeds, which next become hereditary tendencies in the next generation, and which build up generation by generation, accumulating to a thick mat of filthy human history, that we too are all guilty of torturing the Lord. He suffered pain from us, although it was all long before we were born. Heredity however remains the same, and thus the agenda for our own repentance, reformation and regeneration remains the same: except, now the Lord's mercy of salvation has been restored. Salvation can again be granted to those who do the work just mentioned. Thus salvation is by Divine Order, "It is impossible that they who have lived well be sent into hell, and they who have lived ill should be raised into heaven. It is impossible for the Lord's pure mercy to bring [anyone] out of hell" (AC 8700). The means of salvation by the Lord our Savior, by virtue of His passion of the cross, which was the last in an entire life-time of temptations, is thus the same for all: one penny per day, whenever you started working in the Lord's vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), meaning "acquiring spiritual life" from all states and conditions life (AE 140.2). This is regeneration. It lies within our freedom to be regenerated and saved. True, the Lord "...could with angels lead man into good ends by omnipotent force, but this would take away man's life, for it is ... in entirely contrary loves. Therefore the Divine law is inviolable, that man shall be in freedom" (AC 5854). If the Lord were to be present with angels and cast away "myriads of evil spirits...in an instant" from an unregenerate person, that person would then "come into such torment and into such a hell, that he could not possibly endure it." The reason is that he had not yet entered into temptations, and thus the evils were still in him, even just tendencies, plus the high voltage proprium which spawns all our evil angers and desires when we respond to such at first innocuous hereditary prompts.

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If saved in an instant, we "would be miserably deprived of life" (ibid). That is why everyone must go through the steps of self-examination, repentance and supplication for forgiveness; from which follows a life according to a truth seen, reformation; which gradually becomes a life of unself-conscious good from that truth, regeneration. By these provided means, the Lord's omnipotent mercy, which He took to Himself on the Divinely Human level by a life in this world, then saves every person. That is why Easter is celebrated.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     Arcanca Coelestia 5937 [2] All people possess the ability to perceive whether something is true or not. The ability they have within themselves, within their mind, to draw conclusions, is what enables them to perceive it; yet this ability cannot possibly exist in them without influx from the spiritual world. It is a gift that one person possesses in greater measure than another. Those who possess it in smaller measure are people who draw few conclusions within themselves or their minds and so have little perception; and if they say a thing is true they do so because others in whom they put their trust have said it is. Those however who possess the gift in greater measure are people who do not rely on others but see for themselves that it is true.

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Communications 2009

Communications       Julie Conaron       2009


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A reply to the Editorial "Atheism - No Proof of God" (November 2008, pp. 467-474):

     I was very interested in this article as it's a subject dear to my heart. I agreed with John Odhner when he gave a Friday class on Atheism: if there was no New Church I would be an atheist, since the picture of God painted by the Christian church and the doctrine of the vicarious atonement is so horrific I could not believe in such a monstrous creature. If I'm correct, John's premise was that the fallen Christian church combined with scientific studies was responsible for the rise in atheism in the modern world. Only the Writings and true doctrine from scripture can align the spiritual with natural scientific discoveries and not create an either science or religion schism.

     I particularly agree with the premise that the Lord is hidden, only to be found by those who believe He is there. As paragraph 1 on page 471 states: "Who is clever enough to create a universe without leaving a trace but God?" And Divine Love and Wisdom 68, which states that the spiritual acting on the natural is so subtle that it escapes empirical detection.

     Until this article, and despite being a long-term biologist, I had not appreciated the fact that biological innovation occurred at virtually the same instant in geological time around the world (1st paragraph p. 472) - that life began instantaneously (paragraph 3) - somehow or other I missed that conclusion amongst the many articles I read on the subject.

     I love the fact that fossils match revelation, unlike the creationists/fundamentalists who hold that the earth is only a few thousand years old and that everything else is an illusion concocted by atheistic zealots. It's not really surprising that fossils match revelation; after all the Writings had a sound basis in scripture, starting with the Arcana, and it is to be expected that His revelation would make sense of the natural world.

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     The strongest argument for God's existence still has to be the millions of people who believe in Him, and continue to do so over the centuries, despite the advent of modern science. As it says in Canons 4, that's because there's an influx into the souls of all people that there is a God, and that He is one (New Church Life, paragraph 2 p. 474).

     About the only little thing I disagreed with is paragraph 2, page 470 where you suggest that the light in a dream comes from seeing with our spiritual eyes. Except for significant dreams I've had of my husband David, I assumed regular dreams were the brain sorting itself out overnight. After all, it's not really our eyes that see anyway, nor our ears that hear but the brain, aka the mind. Is there a reference for this? It's good to see an article addressing this subject.

     Julie Conaron
     Huntington Valley, PA

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Book Review 2009

Book Review       RON SCHNARR       2009


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     What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life?

     By the Rev. Robert Junge

     How long has the Word been with us and yet how long have we really understood it? The Lord in His Second Coming delivered to us a knowledge from heaven which has been lost from the time of the Ancient Church. This is the knowledge of the spiritual sense. As the Writings have told us "now we are permitted to enter" into this new heavenly light, yet I wonder as a church if we are still standing on the doorway of this metaphorical temple appreciating the view.

     The spiritual sense was not given by the Lord so that a select few could approach Him in the Word. The New Church is to be for everyone learned or simple all over the world. There is a world of wonder and miracle waiting just beyond the doorway of the Word, waiting patiently for us to come and find it.

     So what is the secret?

     Rev. Junge's book What Shall I Do to Inherit Eternal Life (Cathedral Book Center, $20.00) approaches this very subject. The very title of this book captures how we can approach the spiritual sense in the Word. You have to ask for it. On page 362 Rev. Junge quotes Apocalypse Revealed, "He who desires truths, should pray that the Lord may come with light, and...he who loves truths, will then receive them from the Lord (freely) without his own work."

     He then writes, "In the beginning, during reformation, it seems as if we have to do all the work. We study, and ponder. At times we compel ourselves. But when our eyes are really open and we look back, we realize that the Lord has done the work.

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     We give the glory to the Lord. Paradoxically, only those who give the glory to the Lord can see the glory in the Word (Spiritual Sense). They see from their hearts that, 'God is a Spirit, and they who worship Him, must worship in spirit and truth.'"

     Rev. Junge takes a revelation based approach at looking at our relationship to the Word through the different phases of our life. First the book looks at the Word's use in young adulthood and repentance, then at the Word's ability to reform our minds in adulthood and lastly the Word's presence in regeneration in our older years, the age of wisdom. I have to say that I enjoyed the last chapters the best. In these last chapters Rev. Junge delves into the Word's presence in regeneration. It is the living, breathing presence of the Lord.

     In the study of the Word it is of utmost importance that we allow the Lord to stretch and soften the truths we gather from its pages. I very much appreciated a sub-theme I saw in the book of holding and using the truth in a loving way. One quote from the book that is still with me says "When we respond to the longing of the hearts of others instead of the clumsiness of their hands, we will begin to know what conjunction is."

     After reading this book I have to say that I have a new and enlivened relationship with the Word, and I continue to find more joy in the Word every day using these new tools. Thanks for a great book.

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DO'S AND DON'TS WHEN DISCUSSING RELIGION 2009

DO'S AND DON'TS WHEN DISCUSSING RELIGION       THEOLOG RYAN M. SANDSTROM       2009


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     When given the opportunity to speak to someone outside of the Church about our faith, there are many things to keep in mind that may help bring about a useful and productive discussion. Here are a few things to remember:

     DO remember that you and the other person were both equally created by God and that there need not be any tension over differences.

     DO show respect and appreciation for what the other person thinks; you will be surprised at what people have come to accept as truth. Much of what others believe conforms to the teachings of the New Church.

     DO take the time to get to know the person first before getting into religious discussion. Go out to coffee or a relaxing place, be interested in the other person's life, be a friend. Religious discussions are usually smoother and more valuable to the person and yourself when you have already established some kind of relationship with them.

     DO enjoy yourself and your time with the other person. Even if there is no great outcome, you will have at least established your relationship with that person, and much of what you say will remain with him. Should the opportunity arise again to meet him, your discussion will be deeper and richer.

     DO try to recognize the other person's needs; sometimes what you want to say isn't always what they need to hear.

     DO remember that there is no rush. The Lord alone brings people to the Church. Trust in Him and you will have the right things to say. It could be that you talk mostly about sports and weather with a little religion on the side, but it may be what it takes to help that person turn more to the church-doctrine further down the road.

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     DON'T get into battle mode. You are not entering into a religious debate, and there should be no objective on your part other than to expose the other person to the Church in some degree of truth whether it is a small fraction or the entire set of the Writings.

     DON'T feel like you have to convert anyone. As mentioned before, only the Lord brings people into the church.

     DON'T criticize the other's point of view, this only creates opposition. Rather, praise and draw out the true points that are brought up; you will go further by building up from their basis of truth than by cutting down their false ideas.

     DON'T be upset if the other person doesn't agree with you, or with the New Church. It would be just as hard for us to accept anything outside of our church. These things usually take time.

     DON'T expect people to accept everything you say. A lot of what the New Church teaches is too much for them to digest at one time; it can be easy to push the other person outside their comfort zone.

     It is also helpful to keep in mind that the Lord's Church is universal as well as specific. Our doctrine is the fountain and spreads to the far corners of the earth. The Lord is working with everyone and also uses us as instruments to convey His message to others. The fascinating thing is that we may never know when we are conveying His message; the only important thing to remember is to be true to yourself and the Church.

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SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR GREETING OTHERS ABOUT THE NEW CHURCH WHEN TRAVELING 2009

SOME SUGGESTIONS FOR GREETING OTHERS ABOUT THE NEW CHURCH WHEN TRAVELING       ROBERT COLE       2009


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     Some overall suggestions shared by clergy and laity when traveling, can include: Engaging people who seem to be friendly and helpful as you move about - "Thanks for being so helpful!"

     "Perhaps you have noticed that I am a Clergyman (or a Church Member), by my reservations or luggage etc. Have you ever heard of Emanuel Swedenborg? How about Jonathan Chapman? I know that you've heard of Helen Keller, and Chapman was actually Johnny Appleseed. Yes, he went around the Midwest leaving chapters from Swedenborg's Book - Heaven and Its Wonders. He would say to the farmers' families that he visited, and helped with their planting and other things: "Here read this Chapter from Swedenborg's Book, that the Lord told him to write - Do what it says, and live in heaven forever."

     "You will find copies of Swedenborg's Books in most free-world libraries. And you can read them word-for-word on the Internet, if you choose. Also, we have seventy Churches of our faith, which is the New Christian Church - Three here in (Chicago), (Pittsburgh), (Colorado), (Washington, D.C.), (New England), (Florida ), California), (Philadelphia), (Sydney), (London), (Paris), (The Hague), (Rio), (Tokyo), (Manilla), (Accra), (Capetown), (Toronto) etc. You have my address and phone number. And you will be most welcome visiting any of the Churches of our denomination. Here is a copy of the First Chapter of Swedenborg's Twelve Volume Work: Heavenly Secrets Revealed. I hope that you will enjoy reading it. It was very nice talking to you. Goodbye!

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     A "They Were New Church," (or at least influenced by Swedenborg), could also perhaps involve more recent New Church-oriented people, that you might find interesting. Educational, Literary, and politically-minded people, may have heard of U.S. Ambassador Dr. William R. Kintner. In the entertainment area, Lillian Gish, Scott Glenn, Eugene Hersholt (the Dr. Christian Kodak Theatre Annual Award). Perhaps Stephen and son, Jake, Gyllenhaal, etc. The Lincolns, E.I. Du Pont, John Pitcairn, and so forth. Detective story readers - Edgar Allan Poe's: "Fall of the House of Usher" was perhaps based on Heaven and Hell. As was Mark Twain's: "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven." And most recently - Stephanie Mattison's, New York Times Best Sellers involving angels, and reverently careful descriptions of New Church Doctrine, adhered to by the people who just happen to worship at the Bryn Athyn Cathedral, (although the setting is in New York State).

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     Arcana Coelestia 10227 [2] The ability to be wise, it is true, does not exist with all in equal measure; nevertheless all equally possess the ability, for each is able to be wise.

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Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     Announcements




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HH 349. All who have furnished themselves with intelligence and wisdom in the world are received in heaven and become angels, each in accordance with the quality and degree of his intelligence and wisdom. For whatever a man acquires in the world abides, and he takes it with him after death; and it is further increased and filled out, but within and not beyond time degree of his affection and desire for truth and its good, those with but little affection and desire receiving but little, and yet as much as they are capable of receiving within that degree; while those with much affection and desire receive much. The degree itself of affection and desire is like a measure that is filled to the full, he who has a large measure receiving more, and he who has a small measure receiving less. This is so because man's love, to which affection and desire belong, receives all that accords with itself; consequently as much as he loves, so much does he receive. This is what is meant by the Lord's words, To everyone that hath, shall be given, that he may have more abundantly. Matt. xiii. 12; xxv. 29. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, shall be given into your bosom. Luke vi. 38.

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Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue       Editor       2009


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     A Scandinavian flavor to this issue. First we welcome back Rev. Ragnar Boyesen, a well-seasoned Pastor of four societies and a district the size of Scandinavia! His sermon returns to a so well-known text, with a message of how we need to acquire the oil in our lamps.

     Next we have Dr. Fredrik Bryntesson, a fourth generation New Church member who came to teach in our Bryn Athyn College a few years ago, with a Ph.D. in Biology from the University College London! 'Figge,' as he is known here, examines the link between the spiritual and natural worlds in regard to diseases, with light from both Doctrine and his own expertise.

     We often repeat the phrase about the Lord's Kingdom coming. Now Rev. Peter M. Buss Jr., our Pastor in Glenview, explains what that kingdom involves, using parables to lead us to it here on earth.

     Do you know how many editors of New Church Life there have been, and when this journal began? Several editors have written short summaries of it, honoring previous laborers in this field. Here is another one.
Pastoral Moves 2009

Pastoral Moves       Editor       2009


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     I am pleased to announce that the New Church of Phoenix has called the Rev. Garry Walsh to become their resident pastor, beginning July 2009. Like previous pastors in Phoenix, Garry will also serve as visiting pastor for the group that meets in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Congratulations, Garry!

     - Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline.

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TRUST 2009

TRUST       Rev. RAGNAR BOYESEN       2009


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"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom." (Matthew 25:1)

     The parable of the five wise and the five foolish virgins is a spiritual picture of the two different kinds of religious life, one leading to heaven, the other leading to the outer darkness of a selfish life. In the one case the wise virgins trusted in the use of their lamps, while the foolish virgins did not trust in the proper use of their lamps.

     According to Jewish historians, it was a custom in Israel to carry a bride from the home of her father to the home of her husband. This was done at night, when the use of lamps on sticks would light the way, both for those who waited to receive the bridal procession at the bridegroom's house, and those who actually carried the bride from her paternal home to her husband's home. Our story depicts specifically those who are waiting at the door of the bridegroom for him to return to his house with his bride, waiting to hear the glad shouts of the procession: "Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him."

     This parable treats of the trust which those have that wait for the coming of the Lord by being prepared for His coming. When He arrives there is a judgment, since the foolish virgins are not able to go out to meet him, but go to get oil.

     The parable tells us of the state of the Church which is not yet conjoined with the Lord in a spiritual marriage. The "ten" virgins represent the entire church; both wise and unwise waiting for the Lord's coming.

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Those virgins who had oil in their lamps, picture those in the church who have a love of doing what they have learned from their doctrines. The foolish virgins, without oil in their lamps, have indeed the knowledge of scripture, or the lamp, but they do not have the fuel or the essence of the lamp, which is the oil of love, or the love to the Lord and the charity towards the neighbor.

     Oil is both smooth to the touch and usually warm in temperature. Oil can be fragrant and soothing, a joy to smell and a blessing to use. All such feelings as are described by oil, is the true feeling of charity which comes from a love of doing according to the Lord's will, and not insisting on one's own.

     In a technological age, we tend to pay much attention to the mechanics of how things work. In this sense, the lamp has a bowl for containing oil, a handle and a wick to draw up the oil which will be lit. If the lamp is emptied of its oil, it is the same as the doctrines of the church without the warm oil of love which makes the flame burn in the lamp, or the intellect of men and women who see through the enlightenment of true charity. The oil of love feeds the light of spiritual intelligence, but knowledge only is like empty lamps if allowed to remain only in the memory.

     The wise virgins, therefore, picture all those in the Church who allow the truths from charity and from the Lord to be taken into their will, to the point where they trust that all life is from Him for the sake of the neighbor. When we trust the Lord, we see and feel in a new way. We have a lamp which is burning clearly, to give light to those around us. Neither is there a lack of supply, because the wise virgins took their vessels along with their lamps. Vessels in the Word are pictures of our ability to receive charity from the Lord when we love to do His will (Arcana Coelestia 3079:5).

     In our lesson we heard the distinction between those who believe in God, and those who believe in those things which are from God. Believing in God is the same as to know the truths of the church which teach love to the Lord and to the neighbor, and then to do according to our belief.

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To believe the things which are from God is to know and not as yet to do.

     "Those who are truly Christians both know and do, thus they believe in God. But those who are not truly Christian know, and do not. These are called by the Lord 'foolish,' but the former are called 'prudent' (wise)" (Arcana Coelestia 9239).

     How many of us are not often in this last category? We know very well what we should be doing, but because of a lack of trust in the Lord and possibly in our neighbor, we do not act according to conviction.

     As long as we live in the natural world, we are asked to go out to meet the Lord. Spiritually speaking, this is to go out into our daily occupations, tasks, jobs, pursuits with that affection of doing the Lord's will to our neighbor. With the inspiration of charity and love to the Lord, the lamps of our spiritual understanding of doctrine will be lit so that we can go out of our midnight darkness of sensuous life, to seek Him when the Lord is coming in His truth. If we have the oil of love in our understanding, we will always trust the Lord's teachings to lead us to Him. We "go out to meet Him."

     "Then all the virgins arose and trimmed their lamps." Spiritually understood, to arise is to start an activity. To "trim our lamp" is to use our very best understanding of the subject at hand so that our knowledge and applications may serve the purpose of our love for the Lord and those He has left in our care. We trim our lamps when we acknowledge that we have no intelligence and wisdom from ourselves, but need to lift our mind to the Lord alone. Those who are wise will trust the Lord to lead them and teach them, because they have felt His love and seen His help in their life. They have taken care of His love in their life. This is the vessel of oil, which gives an extra supply of oil to the lamp.

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     Those who are foolish are anxiously searching their minds for confirmations of their preconceptions, laziness, fearfulness, and lack of willingness to work on their weaknesses. The reason is that they use the doctrine of the church to reason about truths instead of using truths in the acts of life. By reasoning that just to know and understand truth is the same as using truth practically, they neglect to take oil in their vessels for their lamps.

     Such people learn to trust the goodness and love which belong to others. They even learn to depend upon it, like the unwise virgins asking for extra oil. They admire others, often wishing that they themselves lived different lives. They dare not take the steps of approaching the Lord directly, purposefully, to take His commandments into their very love and affection by doing whatever is at hand in their use, at home, in society, or when needs arise. Their lack of extra oil is a picture of a lack of love and kindness, resentment, frigid attitudes, inability to get along with others. Theirs is a representation of a church which fails from a lack of love to each other.

     In order to have an extra supply of oil we are required to be loving, perceptive, reverent without pretense, inspired by justice and compassion. If we wait for the Lord with our vessels filled with oil, it does not matter that we wait. Even hardships can be faced with fortitude.

     When our character is tested, what is required is that we act as if..., as if the Lord has given aid, as if the kids are darling, as if the world is coming to grips with its problems, as if we have something to contribute when called on, as if our neighbor always is worth loving. By doing what is needed in serving others there will slowly develop a deep sense of trust in the Lord's care for us and the fairness of His overruling Providence.

     No one can have a working faith in the Lord unless the mind is filled with love to Him and to our fellow man. If we fall down on this prerequisite, the answer to the request for extra oil will always be: "No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves."

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Unless we go for ourselves and get the oil of love, before the final call that the bridegroom is coming, no creed, no church, no individual of the church, not even the Lord can give it to us. This call is everyone's awakening after death.

     Everyone must strive against only natural goodness by practicing what is true and good in daily life, not because we are to realize ourselves, or declare our inner essence, but because it is the will of the Lord. Otherwise those blessed feelings of trusting in Him because we are doing what He wants, cannot be given to us. Believing truly, is giving ourselves to others from Him.

     The heart of faith is to trust in the Lord. This is called the esse or inmost of faith. If we have trust in the Lord, we will live well, believe right and strive to fulfill our various uses.

     When we are protective of the oil He has given us, that we use it wisely, the Lord can prepare us for salvation (True Christian Religion 344). So vital is trust in any relationship, that "no one in the world," the Writings say, "is admitted into another's friendship unless he sincerely trusts him and willingly serves him. Such a one and no others does he reckon among his own, and entrusts with his goods" (True Christian Religion 724).

     When the Lord said that "My reward is with Me," He meant that the happiness from heaven itself can come to one who is willing to go directly to Him, to trust explicitly in Him by doing according to His wishes, because conjunction with Him is according to our reception of Him:

     "The Lord cannot send forth anything from Himself except it be Himself, for He is omnipresent with every man according to conjunction, and conjunction is according to reception, and reception is according to love and wisdom, or if you will, according to charity and faith, and charity and faith are according to life, and life is according to the aversion to evil and falsity, and aversion to evil and falsity is according to the knowledge of what is evil and false, and then according to repentance, and at the same time looking to the Lord" (Apocalypse Revealed 949).

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     "Genuine truth is impossible with anyone unless they are in the good of charity. And genuine hope does not exist with anyone who is not in the good of faith" (Arcana Coelestia 6578).

     The virgins, who had oil in their lamps, are spiritual examples of men and women who have been gifted with a heavenly proprium, a new love and wisdom from the Lord, which gives them peace of mind because they trust the Lord. They believe that "nothing of evil will reach them, and know that concupiscence will not infest them" (Arcana Coelestia 5660). These are they who are in freedom itself, for they love to be led by the Lord, because they are "led in good, by good, to good" (Ibid). With this complete trust in the Lord there is nothing that disturbs them, even if the Bridegroom is letting them wait. To wait at night is the same as to live our natural life in the world.

     When the virgins fell asleep, they picture how we all at times may enter into states of doubt. Then we feel that the Lord is removed from us. Such doubt can come when knowledge alone without charity obscures our trust in the Lord.

     When finally the shout is heard: "The Bridegroom comes," we are awakened from natural life alone, to a life of spiritual service. A state of slumber is our external life of cares and worries, whereas our wakeful life is a life of prayer, of self sacrifice, of forgiveness, of love, mercy, patience. In short, states of spiritual life are where we feel closer to the Lord's purposes as they apply to our natural life.

     "Trust in the Lord (is) faith itself" (Arcana Coelestia 3451:3).

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All who are in trust to the Lord know that there is only one doctrine in the Christian church: "That of love to the Lord and charity toward the neighbor" (Arcana Coelestia 3445). The purpose of doctrinal things is to teach men how to live, not to think (Arcana Coelestia 2982).

     "It is indeed said that the very faith itself which saves is confidence; but this confidence is quite impossible except in the good of life. Without the good of life there is no reception, and where there is no reception there is no confidence except at times a certain apparent confidence, in suffering conditions of mind or body, when the desires of the love of self and of the world are at rest. But with those who are in evil of life, when this crisis passes or the condition is changed, such fallacious confidence altogether vanishes; for a confidence is found even with the wicked. But whoever desires to know the quality of his confidence let him examine in himself the affections and ends, as well as the practices of his life" (Arcana Coelestia 2982).

     The foolish virgins went to buy oil. They went spiritually to those who sell oil, or to those who boast that what they have done is spiritually creditable and important. Such are people who do good from outward duty only, or from a will to be important-to make a name for themselves. These can be leaders and preachers who control the life of faith without the love of doing good internally. This is hypocritical good, which they try to "sell" to others, or convince others to receive. Because of this lack of love of application, the foolish virgins could not be let into the wedding feast, because their hypocritical life was not recognized as heavenly by the Bridegroom.

     We live in this world to prepare for the wedding feast of heaven. Because it is our life and love which makes us known in the other life, we cannot and should not insist that religious knowledge constitute the church with any one earth. The enduring reality in the church is that trust of love which is charity, qualified by truth. All charity comes through our will, because we have chosen to act in charity.

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"All that is essential comes from the will; and consequently neither does what is doctrinal make the church, unless both in general and in particular it looks to charity, for then charity becomes the end" (Arcana Coelestia 809). Our purpose, therefore, is to acquire the oil of love to the Lord and our neighbor as we live our short time in the world.

     Let us use our time while we have time. Let us learn to forgive and forget that we may come closer to the Lord, that He may use us to dispense the gifts of love. "Trust belongs to love through faith, consequently trust in the Lord is possible with those only who are in love to the Lord and toward the neighbor, because with others there is no faith" (Arcana Coelestia 8240). "Few know that faith is trust and confidence, and among these few, still fewer know that trust or confidence is from charity, and is not possible with any one who has not lived the life of charity" (Arcana Coelestia 3868).

     "As many as received Him, to them gave He the power to be the sons of God, even to those who believe in His name; who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:12, 13). Amen.

Readings: Matthew 25:1-13, Arcana Coelestia 9239-9242

     The Rev. Ragnar Boyesen was inaugurated into the priesthood in 1972 and ordained as Pastor in 1973. He first served as assistant to the pastor at Olivet Church, Toronto, while also visiting Montreal, in Canada. He then, in turn, served as Pastor of the Stockholm Society, visiting also in Scandinavia, as Pastor of the Pittsburgh Society, PA in 1982, as Pastor of the Freeport Society, PA, in 1986, and in 1993 it was the Kempton Society's turn. In 1996 he moved to be the Pastor of the Jonkoping Circle, Sweden, while again visiting elsewhere in Scandinavia. Ragnar lives with his wife Dorrit (Pedersen) in Jonkoping, Sweden.

[Photograph of Rev. Ragnar Boyesen.]

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CORRESPONDENCE, ORIGINS, CAUSES AND USES OF DISEASE: A NEW CHURCH PERSPECTIVE 2009

CORRESPONDENCE, ORIGINS, CAUSES AND USES OF DISEASE: A NEW CHURCH PERSPECTIVE       FREDRIK BRYNTESSON1       2009


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     Disease is a physiological condition that impairs the normal physiology, and thus the health, of living organisms. The medical community has illuminated many of the physiological processes that characterize different illnesses, so that we now understand how many diseases work and how to treat and cure them on a physiological level. But is there a spiritual component to disease? We know from the Writings of the New Church that "All things that exist in the material world correspond to something spiritual" (True Christian Religion 201). What is the correspondence of disease? And can we learn from the Writings about how illnesses originate on Earth? In spiritual terms, why people are subjected to, and fall ill from diseases? How can our all-loving God allow people to fall ill with sicknesses? How does New Church doctrine address issues such as why little children are born with a deadly disease? Are diseases useful in any way?

Correspondence and origin of diseases

     "Nothing at all comes into being with the natural creation that does not have a correspondence with the spiritual world... Things existing in the natural world are nothing else than effects; their causes, exist in the spiritual world" (Arcana Coelestia 5711).

     We know from the Writings that each physical component in the natural world is caused by and corresponds to a unique specific aspect of the spiritual world (e.g. Arcana Coelestia 5711, Heaven and Hell 89, True Christian Religion 201). Good things on Earth correspond to aspects of the heavens, and conversely, every evil thing in the natural world corresponds to some aspect of the hells.

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We also know that diseases "have correspondence with the spiritual world; not a correspondence with heaven, which is the Gorand Man, but with those who are in what is opposite, thus with those who are in the hells" (Arcana Coelestia 5712). Furthermore, "every disease corresponds to its own evil" (Arcana Coelestia 8364:3). Thus, every disease on Earth corresponds to a specific evil from the hells; given the observably destructive nature of diseases, it is intuitive and sensible to conclude that disease is from hell.

     "No one is good - except God alone" (Mark 10:18). "The hells are the source of all evil" (Arcana Coelestia 6071). "Nothing but good comes from God" (Arcana Coelestia 6071).

     How then did, and do, diseases originate on Earth in the first place? We know that illnesses correspond to evils in the hells, but how and why do evils arise? Before answering this question, it is important to emphasize that the Lord is an all-loving God, and that His Divine Love and Wisdom are utterly incapable of producing evils of any kind. The Lord loves every person in the natural world, and wants us all to be in a good peaceful place and ultimately go to heaven (Divine Providence 27).

     Evils come from no other place than the hells (Arcana Coelestia 6071). But how do the evils in the hells originate? The Lord has from creation endowed individuals with free will and the ability to choose or reject the Divine order in creation from rationality and in freedom. When we want to do what is good and true from creation, we allow the Lord to work in us and thus reduce the stronghold that evils and falsities have on us. The ultimate origin of evil is the individual's perversion of good from freedom (Conjugial Love 444:4). The Lord does not want this to happen, but allows it to happen in order to preserve our freedom. It is therefore a reasonable conclusion that the ultimate origin of disease lies in the spiritual choices that individuals make when they live in the natural world.

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Thus, a new disease can come into being when individuals pervert Divine Good in such a way that the resulting evil can be manifested on Earth as a new type of sickness.

Why do people fall ill, and what are the spiritual components of the disease process?

     If it is true to say that each disease in the natural world corresponds to a specific evil in hell and such evils are ultimately the products of individuals' perversions of Divine order, is every disease caused by its host's perversion of order? Why do people fall ill? If freedom and rationality are necessary components of the ability to choose, does a child 'pervert order' and contract cancer? Why would an all-loving God allow this to happen? These are intriguing questions and have been addressed by different New Church scholars from time to time (e.g. Odhner, 1935; Schnarr, 1959; Buss, 1972; and Bell, 1996). Consider the following teachings2:

     "The reason sicknesses have a correspondence with those in hell is that sicknesses correspond to the evil desires and cravings of the lower mind (animus), and these desires and cravings are the origins of those sicknesses, the origins of sicknesses in general being various kinds of intemperance and self-gratification, wholly physical pleasures, as well as feelings of envy, hatred, revenge, lust, and the like, which destroy a person's interiors. Once these are destroyed his exteriors suffer and subject him to sickness and so to death" (Arcana Coelestia 5712).

     "When a person falls sick in this way he has contracted his sickness from the life that is his; in his case an unclean sphere corresponding to the sickness attaches itself and is present as the cause from which the sickness springs" (Arcana Coelestia 5715).

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     "Moreover every disease corresponds to its own evil; the reason is that everything of man's life is from the spiritual world; and therefore if his spiritual life sickens, evil is derived therefrom into the natural life also, and becomes a disease there" (Arcana Coelestia:3).

     When reading these passages we may get the sense that people do fall ill because they have chosen to live disorderly lives based on lusts and other evils. However, there are many counter arguments. Why is it that some people can commit awful crimes, or live in complete disorder and yet remain healthy? Likewise, why do some people who appear to be living a life according to the Lord's Word become affected by disease? Of course, it is impossible for us to judge other people's spiritual states so we cannot use these observations as means to fully challenge an interpretation of Doctrine. But these observations alone justify closer examination.

     Perhaps a more compelling question is how do we explain congenital genetic diseases such as the Zellweger syndrome, in which little children are born with an intracellular defect resulting in death during infancy? And there are many other congenital diseases. The physiological foundation for such genetic diseases takes place at conception, and is thus present long before birth. Clearly, the passages quoted above cannot be interpreted to mean that these children are responsible for their own diseases. They have become ill long before they from rationality can choose to pervert Divine order. Another question that comes to mind is how we should understand contagious epidemics that very quickly make a lot of people living in a small area sick at the same time? Are all these people in the same evils at the same time? What about the children who fall ill from the epidemic?

     The question thus arises: how do we make sense of the message in passages such as Arcana Coelestia 5712, 5715 and 8364:3 quoted just above?

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Are there other ways to interpret the message in these passages? Should we focus on the passages in isolation or should we look at them in light of all of the New Church Doctrine? Could Swedenborg's historical and cultural restrictions affect the way he wrote the Writings?

     Swedenborg used his own understanding of the science of the mid-eighteenth century when the Writings were written. It is therefore important to take into consideration that the medical science of the day had a very rudimentary understanding of the biological processes underlying illnesses. Modern day elementary pathology concepts such as the genetic basis of illnesses, or the germ theory of disease were unknown to science in the mid-eighteenth century. Swedenborg could therefore not include these concepts in the body of the Writings. Instead, he had to use the science of the day, and this nowadays may provide us with some challenges when we in light of the modern understanding of disease attempt to understand cause and causality of illnesses.3

     One way to interpret the above quoted passages in light of the discussion here is to consider that the Earth is governed by natural laws, which, in turn are governed by the laws of Divine Providence. There are a large number of diseases present on Earth. These illnesses are the results of evils generated by many different individuals throughout history. We know that the Lord never wants diseases and other evils to affect human beings. But we also know that the Lord from creation has given us not only freedom to choose, but also allowed evil things to happen to us by means of permissions according to the laws of Divine Providence. Therefore anyone on Earth, good or evil, is subjected to diseases, just like anyone can become a victim of other evils such as abuse, accidents, natural disasters and other types of misfortune (see e.g. Buss, 1972). Thus:

     "[The Lord] causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45).

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With this conclusion and the previous discussion in mind, the following passage sheds more light on why people get ill:

     "All who are in hell are the causers of sicknesses, though varying ones, for the reason that all the hells are steeped in desires and cravings for what is evil....[I]f those in hell are brought into contact with man they bring sicknesses and at length death. But they are not allowed to enter the actual solid parts of a person's body, nor the parts making up his internal organs or his other organs and limbs; they do not enter anything else than his evil desires and false ideas. Only when he falls sick do they enter any further, into the kinds of uncleanness that are the essence of sicknesses. For as has been stated, nothing ever comes into being with man unless a cause also exists in the spiritual world" (Arcana Coelestia 5713).

     Diseases are thus contracted from the natural world, and once we become sick, the spheres from the hells that correspond to the disease are permitted to affect our bodies and amplify the symptoms of the condition. Consider the example of a child who can not be in a particular evil from freedom of choice: why would the spheres of the hells corresponding to a disease be allowed to act on the body parts of a child once the illness has been contracted? A reasonable answer to this question, which also provides us with a general answer for how diseases work with all of humanity, can be found from the teaching that the general state of the human race has throughout history gravitated towards evil more and more so that we now have a situation in which anyone on Earth is "immersed in many kinds of evil from birth" (Divine Providence 281). Humanity in general, therefore, has become less receptive of the general influx from the heavens and instead more affected in a general way by the spheres of the hells.

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Therefore we are now all susceptible to the hellish spheres that are allowed to act on us when we contract a disease from the natural world. The Rev. Cairns Henderson highlights this notion very well: "we may not say now that our sicknesses are an index to specific evils in ourselves" but that sicknesses "now are rather among the ultimate signs of the general weakness and corruption of the human race as a whole" (Henderson, 1953, p. 134; see also Odhner, 1935 p. 420).

     

     Uses of Diseases

     "From birth, each of us is like a little hell in constant conflict with heaven. The Lord cannot rescue any of us from our hell unless we see that we are in it and want to be rescued. This cannot happen unless there are instances of permission that are caused by laws of Divine Providence" (Divine Providence 251:2).

     The Writings teach us that diseases can be useful in different ways. Fear of disease can serve as a deterrent to do evil things that could affect not only the person wanting to commit the evil but also other people (Life 111; True Christian Religion 316). For example, fear of sexually transmitted diseases can deter people from promiscuity or adultery. Diseases can also serve to re?focus a person from his or her evil desires to thoughts that focus on "higher and nobler things" (Arcana Coelestia 762). However, we are also taught that we are not in a state to do actual repentance when we are ill. This is because we are not in freedom during illness (Divine Providence 138, 142).

     "Repentance has value if carried out in a state of freedom, but no value if carried out in a state of compulsion. A state of compulsion is a state in which a person is sick, is depressed as a result of misfortune, or is about to die, in short any state of fear which takes away the use of sound reason" (Arcana Coelestia 8392).

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Nevertheless, the thoughts we have during illness may contribute to actual repentance in times when we are healthy and thus can think and reason from freedom. In this sense, disease can contribute to our salvation. Disease also serves as a model to illustrate how disorder works. Consider the following teachings: "All things in the human body have a correspondence with things in heaven. So true is this that not even the smallest part in the human body fails to have something spiritual and celestial, or what amounts to the same, the heavenly communities, corresponding to it. For heavenly communities exist according to all the genera and species of spiritual and celestial things; indeed they exist in such order that all of them together represent one human being. They do so in every single detail of the human being, both interior and exterior. This is why heaven considered as a whole is also called the Gorand Man, and why so many times already one community has been spoken of as belonging to this part of the body, another community to that, and so on. The reason why heaven is described in this way is that the Lord is the only Man and heaven represents Him. Also it is Divine Good and Truth received from Him that constitute heaven, and therefore as angels are in heaven they are said to be in the Lord. Those in hell however are outside of that Gorand Man. These correspond to filth and also to things full of disease" (Arcana Coelestia 2996). "[Diseases] do not have a correspondence with heaven, which is the Gorand Man, but with those in a contrary place, thus with those in hell" (Arcana Coelestia 5712).

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     Heaven is in the form of a Gorand Man, to which the human body and its parts correspond. The Gorand Man represents order. Therefore, in theory, a perfectly healthy and functioning human body corresponds to and expresses order. Diseases correspond to evils in the hells and pose a threat to the healthy human body by bringing disorder to it. Since disorder is a feature of the hells we can use our understanding of the biological workings of disease as an example of how evil and disorder work, a feature that is capitalized on in the New Church College biology classroom (Bryntesson, 2008). By illustrating the fabric of the hells, disorder - the perversion of order, by examining disease processes in the human body we can gain an appreciation for how destructive the hells are. This also allows us to learn to appreciate the beauty and importance of order, which is an essential ingredient in order for us to rationally choose to follow the Lord and thus contribute to make the world a better place.

Conclusions

     This study presents an interpretation on what the Writings have to say about disease. Diseases correspond to different aspects of hell. Diseases originate in the natural world as a result of individuals' perversion of Divine Good. Once in the natural world, diseases are subjected to the laws of nature and Divine Providence, which means that they can affect human beings in general. Diseases cannot and should never be used to infer the spiritual state of the afflicted individual. When a person falls ill from disease, the hellish spheres corresponding to that disease are allowed to affect the person and thus amplify the symptoms of the disease. Although diseases are from hell, they can serve different uses.

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For example, they may deter us from doing evil things, they could help us re-focus our minds which can be useful when later in a healthy state we repent, and finally an understanding of the biological processes of diseases can be used to illustrate the nature of disorder, which in turn can help us to appreciate what order is and how it works.

     A final thought: if diseases in the natural world are the products of the unhealthy choices made by individuals throughout time, we could ask ourselves if we have a responsibility, not only towards ourselves, but also to future generations, to make spiritually healthy decisions in our lives?

References

Barker, Kenneth Gen. Ed. (1995) The NIV Study Bible. Gorand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House.

Bell, Reuben P. (1996) Spiritual Considerations For Health And Disease. Unpublished manuscript.

Bryntesson, Fredrik. (2008) The life cycle of the human immunodeficiency virus: a useful tool for teaching scientific and New Church principles in the biology classroom. Bryn Athyn College Faculty Development Study.

Buss, Peter (1972) The Doctrine of Permissions. A Series of Addresses by the Rev. Peter M. Buss. Disease and Accidents. New Church Life. 92:538-545.

Henderson, Cairns (1953) Disease and Evil. New Church Life. 73:134.

Odhner, Hugo Lj. (1935) Notes on the Calendar Readings, Disease and Evil. New Church Life. 55:418-421.

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Schnarr, Frederick (1959) Concerning Diseases. New Church Life.79:80-85.

     1 This manuscript is the product of a summer research project sponsored by the Academy of the New Church Research Committee Program. This research project was, in turn, a continuation of research into New Church ideas of disease that Dr. Bryntesson included in his Bryn Athyn College faculty development study. A somewhat edited and slightly reorganized version of this manuscript has been included in a two-part series in the Bryn Athyn College's student newsletter (Disease- Part 1 and Disease- Part 2 in BACON BITS Vol. 8 issues 4 and 6, 2009). The author is especially thankful to the Rev. G?ran Appelgren for insights and help with proofreading the manuscript, and also to the Rev. Dr. Reuben P. Bell for sharing an unpublished manuscript on disease, and the Rev. Grant Odhner for sharing his thoughts and notes on disease.

     2 Arcana Coelestia has an entire chapter devoted to the correspondence of diseases. See numbers 5711-5727.

     3 It is not the purpose of this article to examine the possible impact that Swedenborg's historical and cultural background may have had on the Writings. However, it is important to consider the possible impact that Swedenborg's understanding of the science of the day may have had on the Writings. For example, the notions of spontaneous generation (DLW 342) and that the skin color of the father decides the skin color of the offspring (DP 277) draw attention to how we should understand some portions of the Writings. It is helpful when coming across such statements that demonstrate the limitations of Swedenborg's understanding of science, to consider the fundamental point that is being made in the given passage or passages.

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KINGDOM OF HEAVEN 2009

KINGDOM OF HEAVEN       Jr. Rev. PETER M. BUSS       2009


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     While on the earth, the Lord told many parables with the goal of describing the kingdom of heaven. "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat..." (Matthew 13:24-25). "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field..." (Matthew 13:31). "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field..." (Matthew 13:44). "The kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son..." (Matthew 22:2). And the parable we focus on today, "the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early to hire laborers for his vineyard..." (Matthew 20:1). We also say, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so upon the earth" (Matthew 6:10).

     In each case, there is a core message, naturally, about the life of those who live in heaven. They have cooperated with the Lord to separate the wheat from the tares in their life. They have allowed the Lord to plant small seeds of goodness inside them, and have done their part to see them grow. They have searched out the treasures of spiritual life. They have allowed the Lord to cause a spiritual marriage in their lives-the marriage of goodness and truth. And as we'll explore today, they have devoted themselves to a life of usefulness.

     There is an intriguing set of passages in the Writings for the New Church which speak to a fact that many of us readily accept about these parables-that the Lord was not just describing the life of those in heaven, but also the life that we are called to live if we want to be there one day.

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They do so by teaching us of a similarity between heaven and one particular "place" on earth, namely the church. We read, "What makes heaven in the case of a person also makes the church" (Heavenly Doctrine 241).

     We read further: "The Lord's heaven in the natural world is called the church, and an angel of that heaven is a person of the church who has been conjoined with the Lord. After his or her departure from the world such a person also becomes an angel of the spiritual heaven" (Divine Providence 30).

     What these passages do is remind us of one of the foremost entities or tools the Lord has given to allow people to learn about and live the life that leads to heaven, namely, the church. The church is the Lord's kingdom on earth (see Arcana Coelestia 1607, 3858:2-3). It is the same as the Lord's kingdom of heaven, to the extent that is one with heaven, in the truth that guides it and the life that defines it.

     There are two passages from the Word which clarify this basic construct. The first comes from the Lord's prayer: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so upon the earth" (Matthew 6:10). In this case, doing the Lord's will is the pivotal parameter for the Lord's kingdom. People in heaven do the will of the Lord, and so the church's role is to teach and lead people to do the same. The second teaching defines the church in another way: "The name of church is given where the Lord is acknowledged and where the Word is known" (Heavenly Doctrine 242). In this case, the operative goal of the church is to lead people to see that the Lord is the source of all that is truly good in their lives, and to teach His truth as revealed in His Word.

     With these concepts in mind, we can return to the parables of heaven, specifically to the one parable we focus on today. "The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early to hire laborers for his vineyard."

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If it's true that the church and heaven are part of the same kingdom, then we could read this parable to say, "The Lord's church is like a landowner who went out early to hire laborers for his vineyard..." This fits with our innate sense, mentioned above, that these parables are not only about heaven, but about the life that leads there, as taught in the church.

     So let's look at some of the messages of this parable to see what they indicate about the Lord's kingdom, in heaven and on earth. The framework of the parable is straightforward: a landowner wants people to work in his vineyard, so he hires some laborers to work for him for the agreed upon wage of a denarius a day-a full day being twelve hours. The message begins to unfold when we learn that this same landowner went out three hours later, then the sixth hour, and then the ninth hour. Finally he hired a group who had been standing idle almost the whole day, to work for one hour. The message comes home when we learn that he chose to pay all of these people, no matter how long they had worked, a denarius.

     The first message is arguably the most obvious in the story: We come face to face with the outrage of the workers hired first, that those hired last received as much as they did. What is the Lord trying to tell us? In heaven, angels LOVE the fact that new people come dwell with them. It matters not whether they knew a full measure of truth their whole lives, and strived to live according to it, or whether they lived a Godless life for a while, and found true guidance relatively late in life. If they have responded to the Lord's invitation to heaven, and willingly submit to His leadership, then they rejoice. As it says in the gospels, "I say to you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance" (Luke 15:7). So also in the church, the message is the same. There should be no tiers of membership-no in?crowd and out-crowd.

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Rather the prevailing attitude should be one of delight in the goodness of others. Those on the path to heaven should hear the call to rid themselves of pride and superiority, and the church, if it is truly to be a part of the Lord's kingdom, must exude the message that all are truly welcome and on the same spiritual "footing" in terms of their ability to access the spiritual truths offered by the Lord.

     A second message from this parable is that of usefulness. It is no accident that the Lord framed His message in the context of work. We read, "the Lord's kingdom is nothing else than a kingdom of useful services" (Arcana Coelestia 5395). Those who truly receive the Lord's spiritual messages as delivered in His Word about heaven, are those who hear His call to devote themselves to being of use to their neighbors. In fact the more people enter the Lord's kingdom, the more they will be led to love use, until "nothing gives them greater happiness than the performance of useful services" (Arcana Coelestia 6325). The church, then, is a genuine part of the Lord's kingdom to the extent that it leads people to a life of use. This too is a part of the prayer, "Thy will be done, as in heaven so upon the earth."

     The third message of this parable has to do specifically with the context of a vineyard. A vineyard is a symbol for spiritual truth offered by the Lord. In this context it is a symbol for the Lord's kingdom itself, and the spiritual truth available in it. Those called to labor in the vineyard are those who willingly devote themselves to the learning of spiritual truth. Those in heaven are continually learning, and continually devoting themselves anew to live according to what they learn. So too, in the church, it is truly a part of the Lord's kingdom to the extent that it leads people to labor in the vineyard, to take in spiritual truths, and use them as a guide for life.

     In this regard, we focus in on what "church" the Lord is specifically talking about.

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We learned above that the name church is given where the Lord is acknowledged and the Word is known. Next month is New Church day, and so our minds are usefully drawn to the place of the New Church in the Lord's kingdom. We are asked to believe that the Lord has raised up His church anew, as He prophesied He would, and that He has given to it a vast "vineyard" of spiritual truths in the Writings for the New Church. Indeed, these truths are what lead us to understand on a deeper level such stories as the parable of the laborers in the vineyard-what messages they contain for our spiritual lives. They give us a full and rich picture of the Lord's kingdom, mainly in the life that people live within it-a life devoted to the Lord and a life of usefulness. This is what defines heaven, and this is what should define the church.

     Whenever we partake of the sacrament of the Holy Supper it of itself brings people powerfully into the kingdom of the Lord. Here again we can focus on the vineyard, and remind ourselves that the product of such a place is wine. The New Church teaches that the wine of the Holy Supper is a perfect symbol for the spiritual truth offered by the Lord, and more nobly, a symbol for the Lord Himself as to Divine Truth-the truth defines Him, and manifests Him to us in His Divine Human. The complement to this truth is His love or goodness, which is symbolized by the bread of the Holy Supper. Those who partake of this supper then, are invited into the Lord's kingdom, by taking into themselves the Lord's love and wisdom, His goodness and truth, and letting Him guide them forward into a life of usefulness.

     As we consider the New Church with all it has to offer, may we be grateful for the ways we feel called to enter the Lord's kingdom-to acknowledge the Lord in our lives, and to learn from His Word, to learn about and live a life of usefulness. May we see that the New Church exists as a tool of the Lord designed to fulfill the portion of the Lord's prayer which says, Thy will be done, as in heaven so upon the earth.

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That portion of the prayer begins with the words, "Thy kingdom come," and we can rest assured that it will come, as individual human beings such as ourselves are called to work in the Lord's vineyard, and live the life of heaven here on earth.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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If a member of the Most Ancient Church [before the Flood] had read the ... [the Old Testament], he would have seen its internal sense without prior instruction or any explanation. He would have seen it so perfectly that the celestial and spiritual things belonging to the internal sense would have instantly met his eyes, and scarcely anything belonging to the sense of the letter. Thus the internal sense would have been for him in brightness, but the sense of the letter in obscurity. He would be like someone listening to a person speaking, and taking in only the sense and paying no attention to the words used by the speaker. But if a member of the Ancient Church [after the Flood] had read the Word he would not have been able, without prior instruction or explanation, to see its internal sense, and so the internal sense would have been for him in obscurity but the sense of the letter in brightness. He would be like someone listening to a person speaking and in thought hanging on to the words used by him, all the while paying no attention to the sense of them, which would therefore be lost on him.

     Arcana Coelestia 4493:4

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EDITORS OF NEW CHURCH LIFE 2009

EDITORS OF NEW CHURCH LIFE       Editor       2009


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     There have been several notes and memorials on the succession of editors of New Church Life all through its 118 year history. It began as a Young People's Magazine, in 1881, with a board of editors. Both Edward Pollack Anschutz and George G. Starkey served on that board from 1881 to 1883, while Charles P. Stuart from whom Stuart Hall Boys Dorm is named on the ANC campus, served from 1881 to 1884. Andrew Czerny also served from 1881, but it is not known when he stepped down. However, in 1881 Czerny was regarded as the "Chief Editor." Eugene J.E. Schreck also started in 1881, but presumably continued solo from 1884 to 1889 when the others had moved on. He was sole editor in 1888, at least. Then the Academy of the New Church acting at that time as a Church, took over New Church Life as its publication. Schreck together with a Board continued as its editor under the Academy aegis from 1890 until he resigned in 1896, totaling 14 years of involvement as editor, under two directive entities.

     In 1896, New Church Life became the official organ of the General Church of the Advent, and under this new umbrella Rev. George G. Starkey became its first editor. In 1897, however, with the final formation of the General Church of the New Jerusalem, an Editorial Board was appointed to work with Rev. Starkey, namely the Rev. Messrs. Enoch Price, Carl Th. Odhner, and Homer Synnestvedt. Rev. Starkey continued until July 1901. Starkey as also Schreck before him, thus served two stints each, Schreck's stints being contiguous, while Starkey's were at two separate occasions.

     From August 1901, Rev. Carl Theophilus Odhner took over as editor up to February 1918, but with a break in 1917. Rev. Alfred Acton was appointed Assistant Editor also starting in 1901, until he resigned to move on to other duties in 1911.

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However, for health reasons Rev. Odhner took leave in March 1917, when Rev. Acton became acting editor for March, April and May issues of 1917. Rev. Odhner took over again from June 1917 to February of 1918, when he passed away.

     With the March 1918 issue, Rev. William Beebe Caldwell became acting editor, and was confirmed as editor in the April 1918 issue. He remained editor for a total of 32 years, from 1918 to at least the November issue of 1950! This brings the history of New Church Life within the living memory of many of our readers, for in 1950 Rev. W. Cairns Henderson took over as editor. However, his move to Bryn Athyn delayed his first issue, which was January 1951. Once having begun, Rev. Henderson's dedicated service as editor was set to match Rev. Caldwell's length of office. After 23 years as editor, Rev. Henderson was however called to the spiritual world, in January 1974, having already prepared the February issue. The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers then was made acting editor from March of 1974. Several editorials by Rev. Henderson, prepared in advance, graced the pages of New Church Life, namely on the Twelve Tribes of Israel, having started in January with "Reuben." Several other tribes were published, ending with Naphtali in June 1974 issue. Rogers added his own Editorials, but made the July 1974 fully his own, up to his last in October 1974. With the November 1974 issue, Rev. Martin Pryke took over as acting editor, holding the reins until a permanent editor could be found, as he stated in his first issue. He continued until the August issue of 1976. The Rev. Morley Rich then was appointed editor, starting with the October 1976 issue, continuing until the August issue of 1978. The Rev. Ormond deCharms Odhner became editor with the September issue of 1978, and continued until the March issue of 1980, writing his final editorial for that month and other material from hospital before being called to the spiritual world.

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     The Rev. Morley Rich once more took over as acting editor this time, with the April to July issues of 1980. He used more of Rev. Ormond Odhner's material, appearing as articles in the May and June issues 1980. After his last editorial of the July issue by Rev. Rich, with the August issue the Rev. Donald L. Rose again took up the long-term mantle, being editor of New Church Life from August 1980 to June 2005, a total of 25 years! The Rev. Kurt Horigan Asplundh stepped out of retirement to be editor from the July 2005 issue to the August 2007. The present editor started with the September 2007 issue.

     The Rev. Morley Rich with two stints in office, first as editor, then acting editor, joins the ranks of Schreck and Starkey who also served twice. Rev. Alfred Acton was also assistant editor, then acting editor. The Rev. Norbert H. Rogers and Rev. Martin Pryke were acting editors.

     The official Announcements in New Church Life - birth, marriages, deaths, etc. - as also in any official religious periodical, are acceptable references for legal purposes in case other documents are lacking.

New Church Life, as

Student Paper

     1. Edward Pollack Anschutz      1881 - 1883      2
     2. George G. Starkey           1881 - 1883      2
     3. Charles P. Stuart           1881 - 1884      3
     4. Andrew Czerny                1881 - ?
     5. Eugene Schreck           1881 - 1889      8

Academy of the New Church

     6. Eugene Schreck           1890 - 1896      6

General Church

     7. George G. Starkey           1896 - 1901      5
     8. Carl Th. Odhner           1901 - 1917 Feb. June - Dec. '17 16
     9. Alfred Acton Asst. Ed.      1901 - 1911 10
          Alfred Acton, Acting,      1917 March, April, May
     10. William B. Caldwell      1918 - 1950      32
     11. W. Cairns Henderson      1951 - 1974, Feb.      23

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     12. Norbert H. Rogers, Acting 1974 Feb. to October 74.
     13. Martin Pryke, Acting      Nov 1974 - 1976 Aug. 2
     14. Morley Rich                Sept. 1976 - 1978 Aug. 2
     15. Ormond de.C Odhner      Sept. 1978 - 1980 Mar. 2
     16. Morley Rich, Acting      1980 Apr. - July
     17. Donald L. Rose           Aug. 1980 - 2005 June 25
     18. Kurt H. Asplundh               July 2005 - 2007 Aug. 2
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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It is clear...that nothing in the body feels or moves on its own, but does so from their sources where the Will and Understanding reside, which are their origin;...these are the first forms, while the sensory and motor organs are forms derived from them. You see, influx follows the same course that formation has taken, there being no influx from the organs into the first forms, but from the first forms into the organs. Divine Wisdom 2: II [72]

There are many who do not have an internal admission of truth, but still have faith of charity. They are ones who have looked to the Lord all their life, and from religious principle have avoided evils. But the cares and business in the world have kept them from thinking about truths, or their teachers had been lacking in that department. Still such ones interiorly in their spirit, admit truths, because they have a love for them. After death, ...when they become spirits and are instructed by angels, they...receive them with joy. Faith 30

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How Does The New Church Increase? 2009

How Does The New Church Increase?       Editor       2009


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     How will the New Church increase? "The new heaven increases, [and] the New Church descends from it...to the extent that the false ideas of the former church are set aside" (True Christian Religion 784). We can know for sure: replace false notions with true ideas, and watch the Church grow. We should practice saying the truth to replace the commonly held falsity, prepared for the next time the subject comes up.

No Try-Out for Evil. In film and theatre, some roles are of mischievous characters. Actors and actresses "try-out" for the role. In real life, that would be like trying the fun of hell before we settle down for the dull slog of heaven! We joke about starting our regeneration later on, after we have enjoyed the fun of evils first! We may be light-hearted, and not mean it. We do get to experience evil before we shun it, because every "good" is evil until we learn the truth from the Word. Then the "good" we have been enjoying, is no longer "good" but evil. Our evil tendencies are done in ignorance, and so innocence is combined with it, and they "appear good."

     Eventually, all evils come out into the open. War is one way this happens, and the hidden evils which started a war, then become obvious, just so that all who witness it can then combat the open evil by first seeing how they were duped by it; then removing it from where it is infesting everyone.

     With evil eventually coming out into the open, we may think: "what good is an evil if I just think about it? I'll sneak it in, just for fun." But that is one thing we must never do, that is, consciously try out an evil, just to see if it is all that bad. That would make the evil deed deliberate, which is worse than the first tendency, acted out in ignorance.

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     So the rule is: "EVILS CANNOT BE REMOVED UNLESS THEY APPEAR." That is the heading. Now the spanker: "This does not mean that you are to do evils in order that they may appear, but that you should examine...not only your actions, but also...what evils you allow in your spirit" (Divine Providence 278). So not only can we not test out an evil, nor enjoy it before giving it up; instead we should imagine what we would do if we did not fear getting caught: "What evils do you allow in spirit?" This boils down to what we end up doing in our fantasies. You need to shun them as well. This is the 9th and 10th commandments: "Thou shalt not covet..." Only when we shun "evil intentions" do we truly wish our neighbors well (True Christian Religion 456, Heavenly Doctrine 165).

     To offset disappointment here, it is important to remember the great luxury of the delights and pleasures in what is good and true, which outnumber and outperform all the pleasures associated with evils and falsities.

There is No Fatalism. Another common explanation for evil happenings, such as earthquakes with so many innocent victims, is Fate: there is an inescapable destiny, and suffering just becomes one's lot. It can't be helped. But there is no government "by necessity." "If a person possesses freedom, ... what happens does not arise out of necessity" (Arcana Coelestia 6487). Nothing needs to happen! There is no fate. Nor do people suffer because fate has allotted it to them, out of necessity, all of which is impossible just because of human free choice. All evils, whether natural disasters or murder and war, stem from any person's evil desires, which when acted out, hurt innocent victims. It is unfair to the victim. No one can avoid being hurt altogether, which was what the parents of Gautama intended for him. But he escaped his perfectly protected environment, and immediately saw a poor man, a corpse and a sick man. That is how Buddhism started. So the question is, do "innocent victims" deserve getting hurt? Is it 'their own fault'?

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     No, no victim deserves being harmed. However, the reason evil keeps striking also the innocent is because none have examined themselves, confessed any guilt of any single inherited evil! They have left alone that gross hairy mat of accumulated human hereditary evil which everyone receives the same from birth. Leaving it alone means not repenting, not even examining oneself.

     Now, when people don't repent, it means they do not see an evil to be evil, but call it "good." So although victims are innocent, penalties are still attached to the evils. Unless shunned, there are secret desires for evils harbored, and so misfortunes and pain victimize even those who do not do evils. Thus the "innocent" are permitted to experience the pain of evil, even when they are not in that evil, so that "their suffering breaks down their evil pleasures" (Arcana Coelestia 762).

     There are of course truly innocent people, like babies and the helpless, who suffer. But evil cannot be overcome unless it is seen, and an evil-doer will not repent unless he has first met with success. So in any case, evil will happen to innocent victims. It is therefore pointless to blame the Lord for not stopping it. We are the ones who are not clean, and we must intervene. Why ask Him to do it! The Lord answers: "Here are water, soap and a towel. Haven't you got hands and the ability to use them? Wash yourself" (True Christian Religion 331). So the answer to fatalism is: No! for we are free to shun evils once we see from the Word what is true and good. When evils are successful, they make the fatal error of coming out in the open, and people in their freedom then overcome them, in themselves and in others.

     The best scenario is for children to be educated with love and wisdom on the parts of parents and older generations, so that they reach adulthood and right away shun the tendencies to evils, before there is even a temptation to act out a tendency. That is the "easy yoke, the light burden." It is easy to enter heaven, if you overcome the tendency right off (Heaven and Hell 528 ff).

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Such is our freedom. Fatalism is a fallacy of retrospect and justification.

There is No Predestination. Closely linked to fatalism is the belief in Predestination. Some call it the same, but predestination is more of a religious fallacy, while fatalism is a popular philosophy. Predestination together with faith alone,

     i.e. we are saved by what we believe, not by anything to do with how we live, does three things: 1. it abolishes religion, and removes the Ten Commandments from any relevance; 2. it induces a false sense of security, and kills our need to exercise free choice in spiritual things; 3. it accuses the Lord of condemnation to hell, since He could save everyone from hell, and prevent all evils, but He does not, since there is a hell. Therefore, this belief, since Ancient times, is called the "flying fiery serpent" mentioned in Daniel (See Divine Providence 340).

     There is a Providence that leads all people to heaven, so in that sense "all are predestined to heaven." However, Predestination either to heaven or to hell, at the whim and fancy of God, without the conscious participation of us humans, is a horrible falsity, and it threatens damnation to those who believe and live by that creed. For then evil tendencies are automatically condoned as innate urges, and evil deeds are excused as of no relevance! If someone does evils, believing they don't matter, they can be condemned by them. If "evils" are just urges to be satisfied, then everything becomes 'good' and just need controlled outlets. With evils condoned, there is no need for self-examination or repentance, and so the maxim becomes: "What is more pleasing than to live according to the flesh and still believe you are saved"? (cf. Arcana Coelestia 794, 916).

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     In the New Church too, we have to fight any sense that just knowing the Heavenly Doctrines bypasses the need for our reformation. At the same time, just knowing and loving the Doctrines is what qualifies anyone for being in "the Doctrine of the New Jerusalem" (Apocalypse Revealed 932, 946)... and thus "those who will be in the New Jerusalem" (Apocalypse Revealed 351, 352, 354, 361). Still, as the New Church message is so often harped on, the assumption is always that everyone should live by the Ten Commandments as well. For all the Doctrines stem from and rest on these. Consequently, living according to the Doctrines of the New Church or "applying doctrine to life" invariably ends up in shunning an evil named in the Decalogue.
How Easily the Lord Leads to This or That Heaven. 2009

How Easily the Lord Leads to This or That Heaven.       Editor       2009

     We are warned that all evils and falsities flow into us from below, from hell, while all goods and truths flow into us from the Lord, through heaven. If you receive anything from hell, no matter how good it looks, it is still received from below, from hell! If we could just see the direction of the influx, we could easily spot what to cast out and what not. Can we see this in ourselves? What are the means?

     Yes, we can. The means are called the Ten Commandments. And we are told point blank, "If man believed, as is the truth, that all good and truth originate from the Lord, and all evil and falsity from hell, he would not appropriate good to himself and account it meritorious, nor would he appropriate evil to himself and account himself responsible for it" (Divine Providence, heading, 320). We just need to ask of our motives, "up or down?" "coming from above, or from below?" and act accordingly. Or ask: "Do I want to take credit for this? It is the Lord's!" "Do I want to be caught openly with this? It is hell's!"

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     As we detect interior desires for revenge, secret lust or cruelty, i.e. laughing in secret at others especially when they experience difficulties, or letting slip a cutting remark, or when we exalt ourselves in secret, thinking how much better we are than others, or imagining a fantasy such as ourselves swinging on a wire above the dumb masses to do a dramatic rescue, etc; we can detect in all of this our "contempt of others in comparison with oneself." An easy way to spot our own evils is by this simple comparison test: list all those we scorn, compared to ourselves! But why? Shame on us. Also the love of "reputation, honor and gain" (read profit). How much do we delight in having our name called out? "Please step forward, receive your deserved acclaim." We would love it, but why? We automatically defend and protect our own reputation which begins from a natural thus unspiritual motive, but when we become spiritual, we still defend our reputation (cf. Divine Providence 73:5). A spiritual person would never boast their own virtue above that of others, not even in secret. Still, a spiritual rational person would also protect his reputation, as also that of others'. But we must not scorn others.

     And as for gain, or profit, we of course are allowed to make a profit, since we can't live without an income. Even riches are not wicked, since "everyone is permitted to enjoy the plentiful table" (Heaven and Hell 359). Plus a life leading to heaven is supposed to be spent "in the world" and its uses, not in a monastic or reclusive removal from it (Heavenly Doctrine 126, 128, 129). So we can have material wealth and high positions of honor which go with legitimate ambitions to perform greater uses. We just cannot set our hearts on these things at the expense of loving the neighbor, or loving God. We must not scorn others in comparison.

     And how do we know that we love God, love the Lord? We know it by keeping the commandments of not stealing or fraud, murdering by flashes of anger, or lying and blaspheming, on all levels of meaning, and doing this even when no one is watching.

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"He who keeps My commandments he it is that loves Me" (John 14: 15, 21). And unclean sexual desires are inborn, but education for adult life mostly subordinates them. However, not committing adultery in our hearts, places a great premium today on monogamous heterosexual marriages as being the only legitimate union from creation. Only one man with one woman is from creation, since it stems from the fact of One God and One Church in heaven and on earth! (Conjugial Love 70). It is the only sanctioned union, also because thereby the greatest love, to procreate the human race, finds its legitimate Eden.

     The Lord leads all of us, all people, towards heaven by the affections of our life's love thereby ordering even our thoughts and prudence (Divine Providence 192, 200). "Nothing is wiser, more infinite than the Lord's Divine Providence" (Spiritual Experiences 2713).

     The "inmost design of the Divine Providence in regard to heaven" is that everyone is "continually prepared by the Lord for his own place." People of all nations, ages, both genders, are being led to their "own places" in heaven, which is why "heaven is divided into as many societies" so that no part can be "in any place but its own" (Divine Providence 68). That is why everyone, even those who enter hell, enter no place than the one "assigned to him either in heaven or in hell, and since both heaven and hell must exist in such a form as will act as one, as was said before; and since no one can be assigned in that form any place but his own" (Divine Providence 203). The Lord leads each one to his or her own place, by the "most individual things" and that is how our places are "foreseen and also provided" (Ibid). This guidance takes place on earth, which is why the laws of Providence apply here, while on earth. People who are "in hell" while here, are led out of hell, but only while still here. This governing of wicked people, or those who temporarily have succumbed to evils in temptations, or are just led astray at the moment, "the Lord governs in hell as to his spirit in the spiritual world," for he or she is then in some "infernal society there" but in a "heavenly society" if he is good.

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The Lord leads each person by transferring them "from one society in hell to another, if they are wicked" until they can "undergo reformation." At that point, while still here on earth, he or she is "led out of hell and raised up into heaven" (Divine Providence 307).

     This governing takes place only here on earth, and continues "till [their] deaths, [at which point they are] ...no longer transferred from society to society there, no longer being reformed, but [they] remain in that state accordance with [their] life" (Ibid). That is how "[t]herefore, when a man dies he is assigned to his own place." The Lord was already leading him or her by means of these societies before they died, so now they are lead to "this or that place" (Divine Providence 68) that is "their own place" (op. cit. 203) in heaven, ... or in hell, but after death. This final elevation or descent depends on the person's own reception and cooperation of the Lord's leading while still on earth. Thus the final raising up "out of hell into heaven" awaits the person after death, either directly upon awakening, if all of regeneration has been achieved, or after some stay in the world of spirits.

     Why then do some people die young, some as infants, and others in extreme old age? If heaven is the end to which the Lord in His providence leads all, how long a time is needed to achieve this?

     The Lord alone knows the balance of uses, and His Laws of Providence instantly switch and become the Laws of Permission whenever anyone is striving to depart from His hand of Providence. The two sets of laws are identical (Divine Providence 202, 234). What alone determines whether anyone is under the laws of Providence or Permission is whether they are heading towards the Lord or away from Him!

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These laws act with the same finality as gravity does, and we may compare them to a fishing-line, and we are the fish the Lord has hooked: if the Lord is reeling us in, it is Providence, if we are struggling to get away, it is Permission! The fishing line is identical. So also the laws of Providence and Permission are identical. And that is how evils are permitted to happen: the Lord pays out the line to leave us in freedom, while retaining His providential hand in our lives. Because we have evil tendencies of all kinds from birth, and as long as we do not examine ourselves and repent, the line is paid out: diseases, misfortunes and accidents may happen to us or in the places where we live. Only by regeneration does man "most commonly become exempt from misfortunes" (Spiritual Experiences, 4630m). Meanwhile, the Lord never wills any evil to befall anyone, but "He cannot prevent them, on account of the end which is salvation" (Divine Providence 234).

     Now we all wonder why the Lord "lets this or that happen?" "How can there be a God if this happens?" However, if the Lord did prevent active evils, we would all object so strenuously that our evil tendencies would be inflamed into total conflagration, and we would enter hell on the spot! That lay behind the Lord's response to His disciples who said, "Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" (Luke 9:54). What did the Lord reply? "But He turned and rebuked them, saying, You do not know what manner of spirit you are of" (Luke 9:55). The meaning is that desiring to destroy those who do not receive, means that the truths you have taught and claim are from heaven, are falsities! (Apocalypse Explained 599:2). Having yourself descending in flames into hell is a heavy price to pay for wanting the Lord's direct intervention, now! That is why wars for e.g. are permitted: to prevent condemnation to hell and to allow evils to come into the open, for good people to intercede and remove them (Divine Providence 251).

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That is why war is permitted only if hidden evils can thereby come out into the open and be seen and combated. It would be easier for people to examine themselves, see and repent of their evil tendencies to begin with, and thereby prevent a war. The same with great misfortunes, tsunamis, earthquakes, etc.: they "break down the natural pleasures" of people and fix their "thoughts on and raise them to higher and nobler things" (Arcana Coelestia 762). Thus, as we said, such misfortunes are never "as if the Lord willed them," but only because "He cannot prevent them" (Divine Providence 16, 234). That is, prevent "all of them." We should thank the Lord every day for the misfortunes we never see, because He did prevent them. Meanwhile, war and misfortunes will just keep happening all over the world, because a majority of people persist in not examining themselves for the sake of improvement! Beware of such negligence.

     The "four uses" which the Lord uses as rule-of-thumb to govern the length of people's lives, depending on their own loves and actions, are 1) to be of use or service to others while you are here on earth, 2) to serve the spirits and angels who are attending you while here on earth, 3) to serve the use of being regenerated while here on earth, or 4) to serve your own use to others in heaven! (cf. Spiritual Experiences 5002). Are you wise enough to decide when you are ready "to go?" No one is. So we keep moving forward, in whatever age, trusting that our own regeneration is being benefited, that we benefit others, and - hey, listen to this one: that we benefit angels and spirits who are attending us. That is at least one of the many uses performed by the elderly, some of whom at times wonder what on earth they are still here for. Angels need you here, and we need the angelic contact through you, so stay right where you are, and keep being your sweet self! Why do you think angels have delighted in your presence for so long? So they can be close to all the others who need their presence, that's why.

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So don't be in a hurry to depart, just relax and live in the Lord.

     What if tragedy strikes and an infant dies, is that infant better off than if he or she had lived to old age? There is an answer, and here it is: "Everyone who dies in infancy goes to heaven, and is there brought up and instructed as a person is in the world; and through his affection for good and truth he is imbued with wisdom and becomes an angel. Such also might the man become who is brought up and instructed in the world, for there is inherent in him the same as is in the infant" (Divine Providence 324:9 added emphasis).

     It is inherent in everyone to become an angel! So the infant who dies only has a head-start in time, but not in the manner of salvation. Even infants who die have to overcome their hereditary tendencies, the same in heaven as people growing up on earth. The process is the same, either way. The laborers in the vineyard all received the same pay, one penny, no matter how long they worked! Besides, the "end of creation is heaven from the human race," but you need a human race to begin with; and if everyone died as children, there'd be a heaven, but no human race! Heaven can descend "so upon the earth" only if there is a human race with rich cultural heritages and long-lived people with happiness and marriage and family. That is why is it better to live to old age than to die young. Heaven can descend to earth in all instances, all the uses governing time of death are means towards the greatest possible happiness each individual can sustain. No matter how long or short one's life, there is a "fullness" to achieve, meant by a "measure to fill" (cf. Arcana Coelestia 7984, 10227.2).

     And such societies on earth the Lord provides, and His Divine Will exercises Its infinite Love in such guidance. How hard is it for the Lord our God to do all that work, figure out the four uses of living a long or short life for 6 billion people here, and untold others throughout the universe?

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How hard is it for the Lord our God, to "balance all uses," and "where forces fail, [to bring] people ... thither"? (Spiritual Experiences 5003). How hard is it to provide for human freedom and see that it is "not one whit removed just because of the Lord's Divine Foresight"? How much work is involved in all that governing? Is it hard work? Well, no: the human race "progresses according to the Divine beck and mere nod of head" (Spiritual Experiences 2234, added emphasis). The Lord governs everything as by a mere "beck and nod of the head"! You try it. There, see how easy it is? That is how easy it is for the Lord to lead us to heaven. Behind His smile, an entire era of people is wafted towards heaven, - - that is to "this or that heaven," to "your own place in heaven."
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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Truly conjugial love today is so rare that it is generally unknown...Nevertheless,...there actually is such a love ....Evidences of experience testify that it exceeds love of self, love of the world, even love of life. Are there not men who, for the woman they long for and implore to be their bride, throw themselves on their knees...and submit themselves to her wishes as the humblest of servants - evidence that that love exceeds love of self?...who, ...count any price as nothing,...and spend their fortunes lavishly - evidence that that love exceeds love of the world?... who...regard their very life as worthless and wish to die if she does not consent to their entreaty [or]...battle rival suitors even to their death, - evidence that that love exceeds love of life?...who, for the woman they long for and implore to be their bride, at her refusal have been driven out of their minds? Conjugial Love 333

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CORRECTIONS 2009

CORRECTIONS              2009


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     Announcements

     



     David, Samuel Joseph Alexander-At Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 31, 2006 (born November 11, 2006), son of Mr. and Mrs. Brian David (Rachael Conway), Rev. R. Amos Glenn officiating.

     We apologize for the misspelling of Rev. Frederick C. Elphick's name on page 131 in the March 2009 Announcements.

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Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue       Editor       2009


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     Our sermon this month details one text associated with the New Church, in celebration of June 19th and the Second Advent. Rev. Appelgren points out the contrasts of light and darkness in many of the verses dealing with the New Jerusalem. How do we let in the light, and avoid the darkness?

     A short comparison of all the Churches, by Rev. David Roth, singles out the New Church from the historic background. There is one thing we can do to promote it.

     Rev. Donald L. Rose has appeared in New Church Life so often, let's face it, he owns it! Here is a sermon reprinted as an article, asking us to think of how angels might look at us: imagine a mirror which showed us our 'states'. In heaven angels look the way they love. How do we improve our 'looks'?

     The students at our excellent Bryn Athyn College, with half a dozen ministers teaching religion courses there, receive a greater concentration of religious instruction than anywhere in the world. Here is a student study by Chandra Hall, asking how do we know if we are "in heaven" or "in the other place"?

     In Hope, Wystan Simons asks poignant questions on how any Society makes progress. Many of our readers in around the world will sympathize. We all need Wystan's HOPE to do this more and more. Previously printed in the ECHO, slightly altered here.

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NEW CHURCH 2009

NEW CHURCH       Rev. DAVID ROTH       2009


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     What role does the New Church play in the world's religions? What is the significance of the New Church? I think understanding these questions is the first thing that will help make sense of the teachings of the New Church. Understanding the context of the giving of these teachings to the human race gives clarity to them.

     Here is how I understand things. First of all, the Church on earth is the place where the Lord connects with the human race collectively-He also connects with each person individually. It is in the Word, sometimes called the Bible, that the Lord tells the story of the history of the Church on earth. Life on this planet and human freedom as a whole depends on this connection with the Lord called "the Church". Throughout the history of the human race on this planet there have been five Churches that have played the primary role of maintaining this connection. The Church that maintains this connection is strong or weak depending on how well its members know the Lord, read and understand correctly His Word, and live by the principles of the Church as revealed by the Lord. There are of course many varied religions throughout the world. They are all part of the body that is the Church, but the specific connection or link depends on the specific Church set up by the Lord to maintain this connection. As I said above, there have been five of these specific Churches throughout the history of the human race-each one of them different in nature.

     The story of the first Church is told metaphorically in first few chapters of the book of Genesis. The creation story and the set up of the Garden of Eden tells of the beginning of this Church and its pristine nature. This Church had a perception which enabled them to see in everything of nature truths about God and spiritual things-this is called the science of correspondences.

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In the course of time this Church fell. Its fall is first described in metaphors in the story of the eating fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Eden, and its end is pictured in the flood story. This Church was called the Most Ancient Church. The story of the second Church called the Ancient Church is described, again in metaphors, by the story of Noah and his family. This pictures the beginning of this Church. Its end or fall is pictured in the story of the tower of Babel. This Church had knowledge of the science of correspondences that the Most Ancient Church had but it wasn't something they perceived, it was something they had to learn and that they wrote down and taught one another. These teachings comprise what is called the Ancient Word. Some of these stories are referred to in the Old Testament; for example the Book of Jasher is mentioned in Joshua 10:12, 13. For the most part this book, however, is lost.

     The story of the third Church, called the Hebrew or Israelitish Church, is told in the Old Testament beginning with the call of Abram (later to be called Abraham) in Genesis 11 and carries on throughout the rest of the Old Testament, ending with the displacement of the Hebrew people and the Babylonian captivity. This Church was a representative of a Church. What this means is that all of the external rituals and laws such as sacrifices, incense offerings, circumcision, cleanings, etc. picture symbolically what a spiritual person does in obedience and love to the Lord. For example, to offer burnt incense pictures prayer to God. The people of this Church didn't know about the internal meaning in what they did. They only did it in obedience to their God. So it was an external Church without the corresponding internal life. It was able to play the part of the specific Church of the Lord by representation.

     The story of the fourth Church, called the Christian Church, is told in New Testament.

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The story is told in the Gospels and the fall of this Church is described, again symbolically, in the first 20 chapters of the book of Revelation. This Church was able to guide people into a visible picture of a Human God-the Lord Jesus Christ. It also abolished all of the external rituals of the law (not the Ten Commandments) and restored lost teachings of love to the Lord and love to the neighbor. The stories left in the New Testament still were written symbolically or, as Jesus said, in parables.

     In time this Church fell because people destroyed the truths about the Lord and about charity and faith. So the Lord had to raise up a new Church. The story of the fifth Church, called The New Church (for lack of an official name at this point-some call it the Church of the New Jerusalem, or New Christian Church) is told mainly in the last two chapters of Revelation. The qualities of the Church are described in imagery or correspondence in the details of the Holy City New Jerusalem. The truths given in the Heavenly Doctrines for the New Church as revealed by means of Emanuel Swedenborg, explain all this imagery and internal meaning, as well as the Oneness of God, and the unity of charity and faith in life. Just as the Hebrew or Jewish Church was left with a set of books to follow which we now call the Old Testament, so was the Christian Church left with a set of books we now call the New Testament, and now has the New Church been left with a set of books called the Heavenly Doctrines or Writings for the New Church.

     So pick up one of the books that the Lord has given and dive into an amazing world of understanding, hope, and love.

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HOW WE LOOK TO ANGELS 2009

HOW WE LOOK TO ANGELS       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       2009


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     In the book of Revelation it is written, "Blessed is he who watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame" (Revelation 16:15). In a red-letter Bible this verse stands out because it is the only one in the chapter that is in red.

     In our lesson we read the words, "Do not provoke him" (Exodus 23:20). This is said about the angel sent before the Children of Israel. They guarded their behavior because of the presence of an angel, and they knew that if they obeyed, the angel would keep them and bring them safely to their destination. The angel, then, knew the way in which they walked, and in some manner saw them.

     There is a teaching in Heaven and Hell about how we look to angels. It is number 131. It says that when we are in good we are regarded by angels as beautiful, and when evil we appear ugly. The chapter is the chapter on light in heaven. We are told that when that light shines on you, you appear as you really are.

     Do you know what you look like? You may have a mirror in the bathroom and one in the hall and one in the living room. We are accustomed to seeing our face in a mirror. But do we feel we know what we look like? We might look with real curiosity at a photograph in which we appear. It is sometimes surprising to see a film or a videotape in which we participate. "Do I look like that?" We might ask someone else to tell us. "Do I move and act like that?"

     It is particularly interesting to see something we are familiar with from an entirely different angle. If there is an aerial photograph of our neighborhood, we might search in it for our house or office, and perhaps look with fascination at the route we regularly walk.

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That reference to the path we walk is of interest, because when we are viewed in the light of heaven, it is as if we are taking certain paths or ways (see Heaven and Hell 534). Sometimes, although we are not moving physically, we walk in the valley of the shadow, and sometimes although there may be confusion and turmoil around us, we walk beside the still waters.

     Take some familiar thing and look at it through a microscope. It is surprising. The Writings invite us to look at an object such as a leaf or a flower or a bee and to examine it with some wisdom. Look at it first naturally, afterwards rationally, and at length spiritually. Use a microscope and you will see "wonderful things, while the interiors that you do not see are still more wonderful" (Divine Providence 3).

     There is a statement in the Arcana Coelestia which reads as follows: "If a person should see the quality of a single thing as it appears before the angels, he would be amazed, and would confess that he would never have believed it, and that in comparison he had known scarcely anything" (# 4930). The passage says that the quality contains many, many things "which cannot be seen in the light of the world, but only in the light of heaven, thus before angels." Look at the world or contemplate the universe and everything in it. What is it? Is it not a theater representing the Lord's kingdom? (see Arcana Coelestia 3000, 3483)

     But the Writings emphasize something else much more than material objects. They emphasize the mental world of affections and ideas. We think the affections we experience and the ideas in our minds are simple. But they are wonderfully complex. Once in the spiritual world some doubted the wonders within a single idea, and the idea was then opened up for them so far that they seemed to see "a universe leading to the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia 4946).

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     Each idea an individual has is in a way a picture of that individual. We read, "The quality of a spirit can be known in the other life from one single idea of his thought. Indeed angels have from the Lord the power of knowing at once when they but look upon anyone, what his character is ... It is therefore evident that every single idea and every single affection of a person ... is an image of him and a likeness of him" (Arcana Coelestia 803).

     What a different feeling we get about our own thoughts and about reading the Word when we have some awareness of how wondrous are the contents of our minds. We are told that angels are in particular delight when children read the Word. Indeed the Word, not on a book shelf but in a human mind, is a resting place for angelic wisdom.

     In the sight of the angels, how are we dressed? If someone is going to look at us, we want to be becomingly dressed, and when our minds are engaged with truths from the Word we are so dressed. This brings us to the verse in Revelation 16. It is said that someone is blessed who is awake and keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame. Who sees his shame? It is the angels. We will mention this verse again. Let it be noted that the garments mean truths, and that to live without truths is to walk naked. As it is said in Apocalypse Revealed: "A person may indeed live like a Christian without truths, but this before men, but not before angels" (#706).

     Is there such a thing as a beautiful deed? Yes, there is, and the real beauty is in the intention and love behind the deed. There is a saying in the Doctrine of Charity that everything a person does is an image of that person. "Before the angels he himself appears in his image ... which I have seen a thousand times" (Charity 6).

     As we make our choices from day to day, how much difference it can make to realize how unpleasant in the sight of heaven are some of the things in which we might be inclined to indulge.

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What a difference when we realize how beautiful to behold is life in which we do not harm others but wish them well.

     Paint a picture, if you can, of some of the feelings that can motivate us, such as revenge or pride. What do they look like?

     Listen to this from the Arcana Coelestia: "In order to obtain a clear idea of the nature of the life of the love of self and of the world (or what is the same, of a life of pride, avarice, envy, hatred, revenge, un-mercifulness, adultery), let any person of talent make for himself an impersonation of it ...and he will then see, in proportion to the energy of his description or picture, how horrible these evils are, and that they are devilish forms, in which there is nothing human. Forms such as these all those become after death who perceive the delight of their life in such evils....On the other hand, let the same person delineate for himself an impersonation of love and charity, or let him express it before his eyes under some form, and then in proportion to his power of description or portrayal he will see that the form is angelic, full of bliss and beauty, and pervaded within with what is heavenly and Divine" (#2363).

     People who make it part of their lives to shun evils as sins against God "appear in heaven before the angels as beautiful human beings, and partners and companions of the angels" (Divine Providence 121).

     The angels see things so differently. They see in the clearest light. Take all the doubts that can trouble you. Take all the arguments against the beautiful truth about the Lord's loving Providence. Write a whole book about them and put that book in the hand of any angel, "...and I know," says the seer, "that the angel will write underneath these few words, They are all appearances and fallacies" (Divine Providence 213). Our lesson this morning from the Sermon on the Mount was about worries. What shall we eat or what shall we drink? We do find ourselves sometimes filled with worries, and perhaps we feel that we could fill a book with them.

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But if an angel looked upon that book, would he not see that those worries are based on the appearances of self-life and the fallacies that cloud our trust in the Lord's Providence?

     Happy is he that is awake and keeps his garments. The Writings seem to say that this is a wake-up call to people who are associated with the New Church. "Happy is he that is awake and keeps his garments lest he walk naked and they see his shame." Here is what the Writings say on this:

     "These things are said for those who will be of the Lord's New Church, that they may learn truths and remain in them, for without truths their connate evils, which are infernal loves, cannot be removed. A man may indeed live like a Christian without truths, but this only before people, not before angels" (Apocalypse Revealed 706).

     Do you know something about the New Church? Then this is a message to you. Learn truths. Remain in them. Yes, remain in them. Do not lose those beautiful garments. What a shame that would be. Stay awake. Think of things the way they really are. Think of your life in this world and in the world to come as it really is. You can call this a warning, but remember that it is a happy warning. Happy is he that is awake and keeps his garments.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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The case is the same at this day, for it has now pleased the Lord to reveal various arcana of heaven - especially the internal or spiritual sense of the Word - which have been till now entirely unknown, and He has also taught the genuine truths of doctrine. This revelation is meant by the "Coming of the Lord" in Matthew (xxiv. 3, 30, 37) Apocalypse Explained 641[3]

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HEAVEN OR HELL? IT'S OUR CHOICE 2009

HEAVEN OR HELL? IT'S OUR CHOICE       CHANDRA HALL       2009


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     (Assignment for Rev. Dr. Ray Silverman's College course, Religion 102)

     Since hellfire means all the craving to do evil that flows from love for oneself, that same fire also means the kind of torment that occurs in the hells. This is because the impulses that arise from that love are urges to wound people who do not offer respect and deference and reverence. To the extent that rage takes charge, and the hatred and vengefulness that come from rage, people are driven to attack others viciously. When this impulse is inherent in everyone in a community where there are no external restraints, no fears of the law or of loss of reputation or position or profit of life, everyone attacks everyone else out of sheer malice. The strong conquer and subject the rest to their tyranny to the point that they are of equal intensity. This is because sadism is inherent in hostility, envy, hatred, and vengefulness, which as already noted are the evils of a love of cruelty (Heaven and Hell 573).

     It is fascinating to me that, whether on earth or in the afterlife, each of us constantly chooses whether we want to be in heaven or hell. When we act with malicious intent or let our negative emotions completely consume us, we are reveling in that feeling of "hell." Although doing so undoubtedly brings us misfortune and misery in the long run, there is without a doubt a certain sinful "pleasure" in acting devilish. If there were not, people would not act that way. The truth is, whenever we are being selfish and mean, or expressing our anger in a destructive way, we are doing so to satisfy a need.

     This need is briefly and superficially satisfied, but then it inevitably rises again. When we act only in a state of negative "reaction" to the things around us, or only in a way that will serve ourselves, there is no permanent state of peace, happiness, and contentment.

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Although we may be able to get a "fix" by giving in to evil temptation, it is only a fix, and eventually we become addicted to the negative. In this way, we have essentially dragged ourselves into hell.

     When I think of the fact that doing or saying evil things can sometimes be satisfying, I think of when I get into an argument with my parents. It is often said that "we always hurt the ones we love." This is because we feel so comfortable with them. These are the times when we feel like we can let our guard down and be the "worst version" of ourselves; we feel safe doing this because we know deep down that these people will not stop loving us.

     It is in this comfortable state that it is easy to get irked by the people we know and who know us so well. When my parents "push my buttons," so to speak, my first instinct is to snap back at them in a disrespectful manner. When I do this, I am initially satisfied, and if they yell back at me, there is all the more of a devilish "rush" to continue the fight and take out all of my negative feelings on them. I know that we will inevitably apologize to each other, and that I will feel bad later for being mean, but it is still tempting to let the instincts of evil take over and not think about the repercussions of what I say.

     When I reflect on experiences like this, I can fully understand the teaching that we go to either heaven or hell because we choose to; we think we will be the happiest in whichever one we choose. Throughout our lives, just as we choose whom we wish to associate with, we also choose what negative feelings we wish to enjoy. The extent to which we enjoy these "evil delights" (Heaven and Hell 570) plays a big part in determining whether we end up in heaven or hell.

     I remember watching an old episode of The Twilight Zone with my dad once. It was about a man who lived a life in pursuit of material pleasures.

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He was extremely selfish and did not care whether he committed petty crimes or hurt others in order to get what he wanted: fancy possessions, lots of money, and beautiful women. Eventually, his questionable behavior caught up with him, and the police came after him for his illegal activities. While trying to escape, he fell off the side of a mountain and died.

     But that is not the end of the story. As the episode continues, we see him for a while in what looks like heaven for him. It's a place filled with unlimited laziness, prostitution, con games, and other material indulgences. At first he is thrilled and considers himself lucky to have gotten into "heaven." He is surrounded by people like himself, who are only out for themselves. Everything is shallow and full of glitz, but has no substance. After a while of indulging his senses completely-like he never fully could on earth-he realizes that he is not happy. Even though he is getting everything he ever wanted, he feels empty and deeply unsatisfied. Eventually he is so frustrated with the life of "heaven" that we hear him shout, "Get me out of here! Take me to the other place!"

     It is at this point that the inevitable twist of the episode is revealed. A deep, disembodied voice says: "This is the other place!"

     In Heaven and Hell we learn that heaven and hell are internal states that we freely choose, depending on what we really love. Even though this man shouts, "Get me out of here," it is quite clear that he would be far less happy in "the other place." People who are deeply selfish and consumed with material pleasures may long for a "better place," and they could go there too, if this were truly their heart's desire. But we know, full well, how often we tend to say, "I'm tired of being mean and selfish," only to revert to our mean and selfish feelings at the next opportunity. This is the only thing that makes hell "permanent" for us.

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     In conclusion, the lesson of "going to" or experiencing heaven and hell is a very important one. It reminds us to think more deeply about our behavior, about what we value, about what truly will make us happy. I try to remember this when I am tempted to act with disrespect just because it will be briefly pleasurable. If the man from the Twilight Zone episode considered what would really satisfy him, he might not have devoted his whole life to seeking out the superficial, shallow pleasures of the senses. But, in the end, the decision would be his alone. It is the same for us. We only get what we give ourselves in this world.

     We read in Heaven and Hell: "The Lord grants this freedom to every individual, and it is never taken away. By virtue of its source it in fact belongs to the Lord and not to us because it comes from the Lord; yet still it is given us along with our life as though it were ours" (#597). This illustrates the essential point of our freedom: we are able to choose our own heaven or our own hell because the Lord knows that heavenly love cannot be forced. We reap what we sow, whether it be heavenly or hellish. When we wake up and realize that we truly do want the goodness of heaven, and that the pleasures of hell are all just an illusion, we have made, by our own volition and in our own sweet freedom, the ultimate choice.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     To receive the life of heaven a man must needs live in the world and engage in the duties and employments there, and by means of a moral and civil life receive the spiritual life. In no other way can the spiritual life be formed with man, or his spirit prepared for heaven. Heaven and Hell 528

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WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE NEW CHURCH? 2009

WHAT IS THE POINT OF THE NEW CHURCH?       Editor       2009


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     The Lord continually invites every person to come to Him, for He says "He who comes to Me shall never hunger and he who believes in Me shall never thirst, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out." (John 6.35, 37) "Jesus stood and cried, If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink." (John 7.37) The meaning is: "Who does not know that the invitation or call is universal, and also the grace of reception? Man obtains life by going to the Lord because the Lord is Life itself" (True Christian Religion 358 added emphasis).

     All people are invited to the New Church. The reason all are invited, is because "the Word is revealed interiorly...as to the spiritual sense, before the Church has been fully devastated, because then the New Church will be established into which those who are of the former church are invited" (Apocalypse Explained 948.2 added emphasis). The interior revelation lifts up the meaning beyond human prejudices, beyond the apparent contradictions of the literal text.

     All are invited to the New Church. One of the first followers of the Writings, Count von H?pken, one of Sweden's Prime Ministers, stated his conviction that "no religion could be better than the one developed by Swedenborg from the Sacred Scriptures" (Tafel ii p. 416 Doc. 252). This follows from the Lord's invitation, as now issuing from the pages of the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem. For in these Writings, "the Word has been opened interiorly at this day, and still more interior Divine truths have been revealed there from for the use of the New Church, that will be called the New Jerusalem" (Apocalypse Explained 948:2).)

     The New Jerusalem has twelve gates, three each facing east, north, south and west.

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These gates "signify all knowledge of truth and good through which man is introduced into the Church....The wall in which are the gates means the Word" (Apocalypse Revealed 899).

     Who will come? All those "who are in the love or in the affection of good more or less, ...or in wisdom or the affection of truth, more or less" (Apocalypse Revealed 901). The Lord gives all people their ability to love and understand Him, some more, some less. But regardless of how much it is seen, the truth remains the same, and becomes a "pearl of great price." From seeing the truth, people love the Lord from the Lord's gift so to love Him! So also He gives them their ability to understand Him: "Those who are in the good of love, the Lord gives the faculty of understanding and knowing the quality of the Lord's New Church as to doctrine and its introductory truths" (Apocalypse Revealed 904).

     What introductory truths? Such truths are countless, any point of interest which starts with a simple statement which introduces to a deeper view of it. "God is Love and Wisdom" is one such truth. "The Word of Scripture has an internal meaning, as a soul contained in the body" is another. "Eternal life begins with anyone's birth, and continues forever after death" is another. You can think up several more, and put them your own way. All such truths stem from the Lord. Such truths are genuine when there is innocence attached to them, i.e. when the person who believes in a truth, loves it to be so, and thus can by its very means be led more closely to the Lord. And the greatest of all truths is: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength."

     However, no one can come close to the Lord if he suddenly turns and strikes his neighbor! The saying goes, "You cannot love God and hate your neighbor!" People end up hating each other because they have different opinions!

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Opinions can become absolute truth in one's own eyes, and neighbors end up arguing and fighting over view-points. Wars begin over no less. But if there is charity present, opinions are not absolute truths, but the reverse: truths are treated as opinions, various outlooks or view-points, because there is innocence present. This was the situation in the Ancient church right after the flood: "they recognized as members of the church all those whose lives showed the good of charity and called them brothers, however much otherwise they differed in truths, what are to-day called matters of faith. One taught another about truths, and this was one of their charitable deeds. Also they did not take it amiss, if one failed to accept another's point of view, knowing that each person accepts truth only to the extent that he is in a state of good" (Heavenly Doctrine 9).

     "One taught another truths, knowing that each person accepts truth only to the extent that he is in good." It is worth pondering on this statement. Everyone can become a "source" of instruction, as long as you only count the truth you state as points of view! You may know that it is truth itself. Still, others may accept it differently. It is put this way in Divine Providence: "A truth from whatever mouth it may be spoken, enters into another's hearing and is received by the mind according to the state and quality of the mind" (#14).

     Each person's degree of goodness determines the amount of truth they can accept. Less goodness accepts less depth of truth. And so there are twelve gates into the New Jerusalem to mean "all" knowledge of truth and good which introduce. Opinions, points of view, then become the means to lead to the Lord. But they do not lead to the Lord if the neighbor's opinions are not tolerated also. So the second great truth: "Love your neighbor as yourself." All who qualify enter through the wide open pearly gates of the New Jerusalem.

     But once they have entered, their innocence turns all to look to the same source, the Writings.

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For all who enter do accept the Divine authority of the Writings. They are the Word of Heavenly Doctrine, the same Word angels have in heaven, but not in angelic language which is ineffable to us, but rationally stated to our understanding upon the earth. The ideas of angels, "full of secrets" on all doctrinal topics, "could nevertheless still be described in words of natural language, even to rational comprehension. I was also told that there are not any Divine mysteries that cannot be perceived and expressed naturally also, even though more generally and less perfectly" (De Verbo 3:4). Only the sound of angelic and human languages differs, not the contents (cf. Arcana Coelestia 8862, True Christian Religion 280). The Writings are in fact meant by the Holy City: "John was carried away into the third heaven, and his sight there opened, before whom was made manifest the Lord's New Church as to doctrine in the form of a city" (Apocalypse Revealed 896, cf. 194, Apocalypse Explained 223, 880). The Writings, the Word of Heavenly Doctrine which constitutes the Second Coming, are thus the mutually accepted focal point for all who enter the New Church on earth, from any "point of view" or point of the compass, which innocence allows.
NO INTERCESSION BY PRAYER 2009

NO INTERCESSION BY PRAYER       Editor       2009

     This topic can also be stated as a truth replacing the falsity of previous churches, whereby the New Church is established. It is false to think that prayer can have any power of intercession for ourselves, as if the Lord will remove our temptations, or act upon the mere utterance of a prayer. Let us begin with the whole passage, and then comment afterwards.

     Arcana Coelestia 8179 "'Why do you cry to Me?' means that there is no need of intercession.

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This is clear from the meaning of 'crying to Jehovah' as interceding, that is, pleading for them to be delivered from temptation, and therefore the question 'Why do you cry to Me?' means, Why do you intercede when there is no need of intercession? And as there is no need of it the words 'Speak to the children of Israel, and let them travel on' immediately follow, meaning that the people will be given help, but that temptation will still go on until their preparation has been accomplished.

     [2] With regard to there being no need of intercession, the situation is that when people are in the throes of temptation they usually stay their hands and resort solely to prayers, which they then pour forth feverishly, unaware that such prayers achieve nothing, but that they should battle against the falsities and evils which the hells introduce. The truths of faith are the means for fighting that battle, and they are of help because they strengthen the forms of good and the truths opposed to falsities and evils. In the conflicts brought by temptations furthermore a person should fight as if he did so in his own strength, yet he should acknowledge and believe that he does so in the Lord's strength...If a person does not fight as if in his own strength he does not make his own the goodness and truth which flow in from the Lord by way of heaven. But when a person does fight as if in his own strength and yet believes that he does so in the Lord's, he does make those things his own. This gives him a new proprium or selfhood, called a heavenly proprium, which is a new will.

     [3] Moreover people in the throes of temptation who take no action other than to send up prayers do not realize that if their temptation were terminated before running its full course their preparation for heaven would not be accomplished, and so they could not be saved. For this reason also little heed is paid to the prayers of those in the throes of temptation; for the Lord desires the end in view, which is the person's salvation. The Lord knows that end, but the person does not, and the Lord does not do what prayers ask for if that is contrary to the end, which is salvation.

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The truth of this also becomes more firmly established with the person who conquers in temptations; but one who does not conquer entertains doubts about God's help and power because he is not heard. Then sometimes, because he stays his hands, he gives in to a degree.

     From all of this one may see how to understand the explanation that there is no need of intercession, namely that one should not rely on prayer. For in prayer, when inspired by God, there is always the thought and belief that the Lord alone knows whether what is sought would be beneficial or not. Therefore the one who prays leaves the Lord to decide whether to listen to what he asks for, then accordingly pleads that the Lord's will may be done, not his own, in keeping with the Lord's words uttered in Gethsemane during His severest temptation, Matt. 26:39, 42, 44" (End of quotation).

     Now for some comments: clear it is that the kind of prayer which should not be exercised is the one which substitutes for action. However, a prayer for strength from the Lord to overcome in the temptations, or asking for the Lord's help in our own temptations, is not meant here. Obviously we can pray for that. However, then we must move on to actually overcoming the evil in life. The intercessory prayer that is forbidden is prayer that ends up as the solution. No, prayer does not eliminate any temptations. Forget that. Even when we are on "a slippery slope" sliding down over the edge to the precipice itself to the yawning chasm of hell, "prayers are not heeded" because we have not yet "reached the limit" of our temptations. Only when we reach that limit and we "start to slip," are we "raised by the Lord and thereby delivered from despair."

     This happens, out there, in life, when we are sliding down, but in the midst of avoiding something wrong, we call on the Lord's help to desist. Then He raises us up, and brings us "into a bright state of hope and the comfort this brings, and also into a state of bliss" (Arcana Coelestia 8165).

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     But prayer never substitutes for temptation. Such prayer is intercessory, and is what we must not do, because then the temptation does not reach its limit, and salvation is postponed. Thus the person who prays instead of overcoming the temptation in act, then "gives in to a degree." We could put it, "yields to some extent." Praying before we reach the limit, prayer to 'stop it,' is a failure, and succumbing to the temptation. We can't pray our way out of the temptation.

     Prayer and Action. What must we do instead? Think about what is actually tempting you: What is the nature of the activity that you are praying should be ended? What is the wrongdoing? This is what we must stop doing, and so pray only for strength from the Lord to overcome it. But the prayer is for naught unless we get up from our knees and engage in an activity that eliminates the very thing that tempts us. Include the omission, and do that instead. I.e. stand up and go out and do "not" do the evil you are tempted to do, in the very situation where you are tempted to include it. Eliminate it from your activity, in the Lord's name. Such an action constitutes "making your own the goodness and truth which flow in from the Lord by way of heaven" (Arcana Coelestia 8179). This becomes your own when you act, as of self, which means nothing more than on your own, i.e. off your own bat, but trusting in the Lord's arm to actually overcome the hell which is outsourcing your temptation. Acting on your own is what is meant by "as if of self."

     Do Not Stay The Hand. We of course must also think here about praying for others. Does praying for others and for their welfare also constitute a kind of intercession? Is our prayer for others also included here as prohibited? Only if praying for others also substitutes for activity, i.e. if it "stays the hand" from taking proper action.

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Why pray that a person not be struck by a car, when what you should do is to run out and pull that person to safety? That is just an example, but it extends to all circumstances where we might pray for others. Instead of praying for others, or as well as praying for them, Help them instead, or as well. We cannot let prayer substitute for helpful action, since it also implies that the Lord does not know how to act, when in fact He is omniscient, omnipotent. Thus there are prayers that the Lord ignores, i.e. He "does not do what the prayers ask for," if and when it is contrary to the end which He alone sees. That is why we should end each prayer, "Yet not my will, but Thine be done." That makes almost any prayer ok.

     Pray From No Harm. And we can't forget the primary teaching by the Lord Himself on the subject of praying for others: "Love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who hurt and persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in the heavens" (Matt. 5:43-45) Luke has it this way: "Rather love your enemies, and do kindnesses, and lend without expecting any return. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because He is kind to the ungrateful and wicked" (Luke 6:33-36). The meaning has to do with merit! We cannot take any credit for what the Lord does. That is, we can never think that we have in any way interceded. NO! The Lord alone is the Intercessor! He alone intercedes, because He interceded by His Advent. To Him alone belongs all merit (Arcana Coelestia 848, 2196). A regenerating person consequently regards "self-merit as a monstrous wickedness" (Arcana Coelestia 2371). We must therefore pray for "those who hurt and persecute us" first, before we pray for good things for our friends. First we pray "for our enemies," because at the heart of prayer for others is how we regard the Lord.

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     We read: "What a person is in himself determines how he sees the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia, 1838, 1861, 2706, 3605:4). If we have hatred in our heart, praying for others still comes from self, and thus is interiorly against the Lord. We are telling Him what to do! That is why we must pray from a heart cleared of sin, where "love and charity are present." This is what Matthew means: "pray for those who hurt and persecute you." Your heart can be guaranteed to be good only if it prays for those who hurt you! Do we see this test, how it works? Genuine love wills no harm. Prayers need to proceed from a "no harm" attitude. That is also why the Lord, who is the Divine Love Itself as a soul within the crucified body, cried out, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." It was the Divine Love Itself now present on our level, crying out that no harm come to us. Even when we crucify Him, from hatred, He wills us no harm! Can we follow that? This means that the Lord does not impute a single sin to anyone, but we impute our own sins to ourselves (True Christian Religion 539, Arcana Coelestia 1590). No one can be blamed for going to hell, other than the one who goes there! (cf. Divine Providence 327)

     How We Continue. The Lord is mercy itself, and forgives all our sins provided we stop doing them after death, in the world of spirits. We are in fact automatically forgiven all our evil deeds on earth, because the body or natural man "cannot be held guilty of any fault or crime, since it does not live of itself, but is only the servant, and instrument by which the spiritual man acts" (Last Judgment 30; non reum alicujus culpae aut criminis est, quia non vivit ex se, sed est modo administrum et instrumentale). The body is just an instrument, and not guilty of anything! The world too is just dead material, and it is "not guilty" of causing anyone to stumble! The Judgment of our earthly deeds thus depends on the motive, and on whether or not we are aware of our sinful attitude in them.

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That is why everyone is judged only after death, after we leave this world and the "body has been put off." Everyone is then judged by what they continue to do in their spirit, in the spiritual world. No evils "done in the world" are punished after death, only the "evils anyone continues to do" (Heaven and Hell 509). That is "Father forgive them," the Lord's Infinite Mercy. "If He should mark iniquities, who shall stand?" Only by seeing what we continue to do after death, when there are no excuses left, do we judge ourselves, up or down.

     Pray to Desist from Evils. We should pray to desist from evils, lest we enter hell. Infernal spirits who continue to do evils after death, are first told to "desist" from their evils, but they find "they cannot", and thus they realize they "cannot possibly be in heaven" (Arcana Coelestia 7795). Just prior to entering hell, only then is an evil spirit "shown" all his evil deeds done in the world, to add to what he has continued to choose (Arcana Coelestia 7721). He then sees his inward evil state, which is laid open. The infernal spirits then burn with eagerness to follow their evil love, and freely choose to enter hell! The fact that they voluntarily have chosen to enter hell is "clear" to the devils themselves, but "not to witnesses" (cf. Heaven and Hell 548). In other words you have to ask the devil himself: "Were you thrown in here against your will?" You will be met by disbelieving stares: "No way! I jumped on my own." But if you ask witnesses, they will claim "The Lord pushed them." It seems to even good witnesses that they were "cast into hell"! To counter this, at the end of the work Divine Providence Swedenborg was inspired to include the witness of devils themselves, that hell is to them as filth is to unclean animals (cf. Divine Providence 340e). They love it, and would never leave hell on their own.

     Final Justice. Because every evil is inseparable from its own punishment, the devil upon entering hell "rushes into the evil" as well as into its penalty. This combination is concealed from evil people while in the world, to allow for reformation.

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That is why evils seem not to be punished so often on earth! The reason is that it is "partly the same in the world," because the law here too is seen not to be the cause of punishment (Heaven and Hell 550). The Judge or the law only administers the penalty, but the penalty stems from the wicked deed, not the law. The penalty "to fit the crime" is actually self-imposed, but this link only becomes instantaneous and 100% applicable, in hell. Only there is the pain of a crime instantaneous. The devil that strikes his fellow, himself feels the pain. That is the final justice, involved with hell fire.

     The depth of every evil is an important consideration to take up, since we pray to be saved from such a fate. We should know that most of the penalty or pain from evil deeds in hell, actually comes from retaliation from the victimized devils themselves! (Arcana Coelestia 8232) Can you imagine wicked people only being able to harm each other? Its pandemonium! It is also instant justice, something we often wish could happen here on earth. Once in hell, a devil rushes against fellow devils to take "what the other had, from deadly hatred" (Arcana Coelestia 6832), with the love to torment others. The devils' lust to torment others can "increase to infinity," and is still not be satisfied (Heaven and Hell 695). It is referred to in Mark quoting Isaiah, as "their worm never dying, their fire never being quenched" (Isaiah 66:24, Mark 9:44, 46, 48. Arcana Coelestia 8481).

     Once in hell, devils alternate between "the fire and the torment of their lust" (Arcana Coelestia 825). Both the fire and torment are inherent in the wickedness of the evil deed, but they are separated from the deed here on earth. Who would be reformed of evil if the pain were instantly felt? No one. The entire world-population would plunge to hell in moments! No, the pain is separated here, so we can repent even of "mistakes."

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     Not so in hell. At length, the punishment becomes "greater than the delight of evil" and they abstain from doing the evil (Arcana Coelestia 7188) and all devils buckle down to perform "vile uses" forever. No idleness is tolerated (Arcana Coelestia 986, 1097, Spiritual Experiences 1194). Once they have done their uses, they are "left to enjoy the fantasy of their evils" and to glory in it as long as they "do not do evil to others" (Conjugial Love 264, 461). Devils prefer their fantasies 1000 times over leaving hell! (Spiritual Experiences 5830)

     Reminders in Hell. In such quieter moments, devils are "reminded" of their evils in the world, and that the source of their punishments are "their own evils" (Arcana Coelestia 7721). They need constant reminders that they are the only ones to blame for being there. A birds-eye view of their "use" is to withdraw evil spirits from good spirits in the world of spirits, or withdrawing good and truth from infernal spirits until nothing but evil and falsities are left, and thus to gather their own. One final use of evil spirits it to let good spirits witness what evil actually looks like (cf. Heaven and Hell 508).

     Prayers from No Self-Merit. How do we pray to escape such a lot? First we must remove the false belief that the 'Lord died for our sins on the cross' (True Christian Religion 649). No, He died by "suffering from our sins" meant by "bearing them." This means that the Lord alone has the merit for overcoming our evils, forever. We can take credit for nothing. Only by turning to Him, in His Word, can we hope to overcome the same evils in our lives, on our own, but from His presence.

     In praying for others, we therefore do not take any credit when we add the words to the end of the prayer, "Not my will, but Thine be done" as the Lord Himself exemplified (Arcana Coelestia 8179:3). Then there is no doubt about God's help and power, there is no taking credit, and there no consequent fear that our prayer has not been heard. Still, if we pray for someone else's benefit, then we must make of ourselves an instrument for the fulfillment of the prayer.

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That is to say, you have to "do" exactly what you asked the Lord to do in your prayer. We read; "Prayer effects nothing unless man abstains from thinking and doing evils. If man then does these things, then prayers avail before the Lord" (Apocalypse Explained 248). So if we pray for others, we must first abstain from our own evils, - which again is "praying for one's enemies" - and then carry out what we pray for. Then our "prayers avail before the Lord." If we look for evidence that the prayer has been answered, however, beware: such prayers are "answered afterwards, when you are not thinking about it" (Spiritual Experiences 3538).

     But you won't be looking for confirmation, will you? You are after all in a state of charity, not thinking of credit or reward. And since you have already acted to help the others whom you prayed for, all of the good outcome is in the Lord's hands, and we give Him thanks for it. That is also why we should never blame any bad results on Him, but only thanking Him for all the good that came along. We see people in the news who have lost limbs still thanking the Lord for saving their lives!

     Prayer From the Lord. That is why the Writings explain that sins are overcome "actually" when they are shunned in life, not in prayer only. "How ought man to repent?" And the reply is, "Actually; that is to say, he must examine himself, recognize and acknowledge his sins, pray to the Lord, and begin a new life. Without examination repentance is not possible" (True Christian Religion 530, cf. Apocalypse Revealed 531:5). The prayer which proceeds from the man is "not heard", but the prayer must proceed "from the Lord with man" (Arcana Coelestia 10299:2). Only self-examination and repentance before occasional voluntary partaking of the Holy Supper, can fortify each person, so that when "one thereafter refrains from one or two sins one caught oneself committing, this is enough to start the process of making it real" (True Christian Religion 530).

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You catch yourself doing the same thing, but this time, having taken the Sacrament, you are able to "refrain from it."

     A Pillar of a Prayer. Prayer accompanies our whole life, and the Lord's Prayer is of course Prime among all Prayers, since it acts as a column from the Lord through heaven, widening as it comes down to earth with "deliver us from evil" (cf. Arcana Coelestia 8864). Then the Lord's Prayer returns to the heavens, with "kingdom, power and glory," and finally to the Lord as Source of the Prayer, with "Forever, amen." We can think of it as coming down to save, and turning us to heaven on the return run.

     Ask From the Lord. What can we ask for in prayer? Anything? In a genuine prayer to the Lord, we only ask what the "Lord gives us to ask" (Apocalypse Revealed 376). The principle is therefore to pray for only what the Lord can give us. The reason is that the Lord already knows what we need, but He wills that we ask for it, for thus it can be "appropriated" to us. It can become ours by right. That is why the Lord said, "Ask, and it shall be given unto you." We must therefore pray for what the Lord gives us, and the safeguard is to ask ourselves what the Lord wills to give us? Because those things are what we need, therefore we should pray for them, and then He gives them to us. Neat, isn't it?

     Who Is Intercessor. "The Lord as to the Divine Human is called 'a Mediator' and 'an Intercessor,' but He mediates and intercedes with Himself" (Arcana Coelestia 8705). There is constant intercession in all love. "It is the same in respect to the Lord's intercession for the human race,...He does not pray the Father for them, and in this way intercede,...but He continually excuses, and continually forgives, for He continually feels compassion; and this is done on the part of the Lord Himself, for the Lord and the Father are one (John 14:8-12)" (Arcana Coelestia 8573).

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Jesus is now the Risen Lord, who alone Intercedes for us.

     He Intercedes via Good and Truth. "Jesus said, All things which ye ask in prayer, believe that ye shall receive them, and then it shall be done unto you. When ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any" (Mark xi. 24, 25). We pray the Intercessor only for His good and truth, because we live by them. "Here, also, in the spiritual sense, by praying, desiring, and asking, is meant the life of love and charity; for to those who are in the life of love and charity, it is given from the Lord what they should ask: therefore they ask nothing but what is good, and that is done unto them; and because faith is also from the Lord, therefore, it is said, 'believe that ye shall receive them.' And because prayers proceed from the life of charity, and are according to it, therefore, in order that it may be done according to the prayers, it is also said, 'when ye stand praying forgive, if ye have ought against any'" (Apocalypse Explained 325:8). Thus, again, if we wish to intercede for our friends, we must in prayer "forgive" our enemies, and thus pray from a state of no harm.

     What to Pray For. We are taught specific things to pray for. We can pray to find a married partner that is to "desire and seek from the Lord a lawful and lovely partnership with one." We can in the same prayer ask for help to "spurn and reject roving lusts as an offense to the nostrils"(Conjugial Love 49e)! The Lord will then lead people to find each other, and feel that dictate, "He/she is mine." After marriage, we can certainly pray to the Lord to maintain our marriage. We should also pray that the New Jerusalem be established: "Anyone who hears and consequently knows anything of the Lord's coming, and of the New Heaven and the New Church, thus of the Lord's kingdom, let them pray that it may come" (Apocalypse Revealed 956). This is the meaning of "anyone hears, say come."

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And we can also pray for understanding the truth: "he who longs for the Lord's kingdom, and truths then, let him pray that the Lord may come with light" (ibid.) This is a very special prayer, because it is answered right away: "he will accept them from the Lord without any exertion of his own" (ibid.) The actual fulfillment of this prayer takes place while reading the Writings, since they are already given as our permission to "understand the mysteries of faith." Heaven's Word has been given in rational terminology, in natural language, which every mature person can see as soon as they come across it.

     "Prayer, regarded in itself, is speech with God, and some internal view at the time of the matters of the prayer, to which there answers something like an influx into the perception or thought of the mind, so that there is a certain opening of the man's interiors toward God" (Arcana Coelestia 2535). It is also useful to remember that the knees correspond to submission, since they give way automatically in the presence of the Divine, which involves humiliation on the knees before the Lord, as when in prayer (cf. Arcana Coelestia 5323).
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     The Church is a Human Heaven: The Lord's heaven in the natural world is called the Church; and an angel of this heaven is a man of the Church who is conjoined to the Lord; and after he leaves this world he becomes an angel of the spiritual heaven. From this it is clear that what has been said of the angelic heaven must also be understood of the human heaven that is called the Church. This reciprocal conjunction with the Lord, which constitutes heaven in man, is revealed by the Lord in these words in John:

     Abide in Me, and I in you. He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. John xv. 4, 5, 7. Divine Providence 30.

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HOPE 2009

HOPE       WYSTAN SIMONS       2009


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     This is a story of hope - the gift of a visitor to our humble church building -- but it doesn't start out that way. This message starts with darkness. Dear fellow New Churchmen, it seems to me a pivotal time in the history of the General Church. On the one hand our bishop has encouraged a huge effort to facilitate the sharing of teachings about the Lord, the Word, and heaven with wider audiences - surely the result of the Lord's urging within him. On the other hand, the church seems to be torn apart from within. Instead of working together in mutual respect, too often we hear disagreement between those who love outreach and those who love in-reach, discord between the businessmen who pay for things and the academics whose job it is to do the teaching, frustration between those who like things the way they are, and those who see bright horizons beckoning. Economic crisis puts further pressure on every small society such as ours in Mitchellville. What does it mean? When longtime members and then ministers of the organization begin to leave it, we cannot help but notice and be affected.

     We could respond to sad news by turning inward, for safeties, for security, to those in our inner circle who we feel understand us. This is a natural response, and I feel it myself, but I strongly urge that it is a mistake. By polarizing us into splinter groups, the hells will have achieved a step in ending a useful if imperfect organization. This is true for each church society and circle, and I believe for the whole of the General Church.

     I urge that it is a mistake to turn inward for strength at this time of conflict because the hope of this organization lies outside its existing boundaries, as well as within the heart of every member of the church who strives to put love of the Lord and the neighbor above his own agenda.

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The hope for the world lies with every human who longs for a deeper way to understand the Bible, to love and know God, and to understand the nature of life after death.

     Each church group existing anywhere will have her own strengths, her own focus, and we should not hear in our bishop's urging a call to sameness. Sometimes the latest buzzword collects a fuzz of irritation around it due to frequent usage. But the idea of taking what is best about your own group and offering that to those who might really want it should not threaten us.

     Doesn't it seem likely that a flood of evil spirits has been aroused by this new effort to help others, currently described as "meaningful contact with a million people"? Rather than picking at the words, let's consider the meaning of the phrase. The goal originally, I have to assume, was simply this: "Can we help others in this crazy world we live in?" Just that simple. Can each of us extend a bit to help those around us in different ways, either as a church or as a person within that church? This only becomes threatening when you define "helping" in certain predetermined ways. If you allow someone to tell you that "in order to be helping others you have to have this kind of front door/sign/message" then I believe you have lost the point.

     Not all church groups will have the same strengths or goals-and isn't that wonderful? Wonderful because those searching have different needs to fill. Add to this that each society (or individual) has different needs itself. And, wonderfully again, the Lord provides us with visitors, or new members, or students in our schools, or sister churches with whom to do the work of external charity, and these gifts will strengthen us too if we pay attention.

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     A few weeks ago I had a powerfully positive experience of this, hearing the story of spiritual journey of a newcomer friend of mine. Her story is her own to tell, but it bears me up in these turbulent times. She frequently drives an hour or more round the Beltway for church supper and doctrinal class Friday nights. After a period of spiritual warfare, the Lord sent her to this little church for shelter, to find the company of people who share the ideas she discovered while reading Heaven and Hell on the Internet. Sitting in the ordinary supper room of our struggling congregation that evening, she put it to me this way, "I now think the evil spirits were trying to kill me before I could find Swedenborg's Writings and this congregation. What's happening here is really important."

     We are imperfect. Sometimes we allow ourselves to become immersed in our own egos, our own timetables, our own agendas, our own visions, so that we actually do violence to each other in the name of God. Sometimes we are shy, or fearful. Sometimes the very knowledge of our own imperfections as a human being or a church or a church building can shut us down.

     But hearing my friend's story and affirmation, I find new hope for the wonders the Lord is working through and around us, all the time.

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Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     ...Angels of Every Kind: In like order the angels in each particular society of heaven dwell in relation to one another. Towards the east there, dwell those who are in a greater degree of love and charity, towards the west those in a less degree. Towards the south dwell those who are in greater light of wisdom and intelligence, towards the north those who are in less. They dwell separately like this because each society resembles heaven, and is a heaven in lesser form...The same arrangement prevails in their assemblies. They are brought into this order by reason of the form of heaven, from which every one knows his own place. The Lord also provides that there may be in each society those of every kind to the intent that in form heaven may be everywhere like itself. Yet the arrangement of the whole heaven differs from the arrangement of a society, as what is general differs from what is particular. For the societies towards the east surpass those towards the west, and those towards the south surpass those towards the north. Heaven and Hell 149

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Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue       Editor       2009


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     We hope you are enjoying the season that is upon you!

     A sermon titled The New Church as Mother, has probably been preached by every minister. Rev. Junge considers how the Lord and the Church are as husband and wife. Members of the Church thus act in the uses of a wife, namely to nurture and bring forth uses.

     Dr. Kristin King's address to the Graduating College reads as a universal appeal to all of us: how to be productive? After reading her encouragement, you may be sure that the heavy construction on the College Campus in Bryn Athyn invites all of you to participate in more learning, for yourselves and your children. The dust will settle by next October, so come one and all to the flagship of New Church Education: Bryn Athyn College (and the Graduate wing, the M.A.R.S. program).

     How do you vote in your own country? It is amazing how far democracy has spread to hundreds of nations since WWII. There are always the Liberal and the Conservative wings. Charis Cole urges awareness in our spiritual love of country, a high level of charity.

     This issue welcomes 5 new Pastors to the General Church world?wide, and introduces you to their faces and statements of faith and purpose. They were inaugurated on May 24th.

     There are issues which concern our members. Letters to the Editor this time will alert you to much of that concern, and we may learn more into the bargain.

     Check our camp offerings.

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CHURCH, THE MOTHER OF ALL LIVING 2009

CHURCH, THE MOTHER OF ALL LIVING       Rev. ROBERT S. JUNGE       2009


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"And Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living." (Gen 3:20)

     We read on this that Eve "is called mother as being the first church; and living, in consequence of possessing faith in the Lord Who is Life itself" (Arcana Coelestia 2287). In the Word the church is frequently called mother (See Arcana Coelestia 289). In this relationship clearly the Lord is to be called Father, sometimes, Bridegroom, and sometimes Husband. We can easily picture the Church's looking to the Lord as a loving wife looks to her husband. Through love from the Lord all the goods and truths of the Church, all things truly living, are conceived and born. There is much to be learned in exploring this relationship, but we must do it with care.

     Many today think of marriage only as a natural relationship. But clearly the relationship between the Lord and the Church is eternal and spiritual and can only be rightly understood in lasting and spiritual terms. The Lord's Church cannot be an external without an internal. To make it so is to demean its marriage relationship to the Lord. To live up to its true purpose it must not serve only natural delights and social purposes. It must kindle a vision of eternal life and foster genuine acts of charity from love of the neighbor.

     In addition to thinking only externally about the Church the hells - that is the evil - would have us make no distinction between adulterous love and genuine marriage love. Clearly adulterous love with its deception and broken trust has no place in a true picture of the Church's relationship to the Lord.

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However when we make the distinction between marriage and adultery, then we can see that if the Church is unfaithful to the Lord, it becomes like an adulterous wife, and indeed is so described in the Word. Rather than being faithful to the Lord, an adulterous Church makes its bed with other gods. The seeds of truth are commingled with falsities and are adulterated to serve only selfish ends and selfish pleasures. The love of dominion is fatal to the church as it is in marriage. The love of the world undermines the true goals of a church as it does those of marriage. Sham and pretence may strive to cover the grossness within. It may paint itself with all sorts of external and apparent attractiveness. But such an adulterous Church, rather than the mother of all living, becomes spiritually diseased and ultimately dead. Merely natural delights are not only fickle, but they are transient and perishable. In neglecting the integrity of One Source of Love and Life, such a Church ends up with no faith, no love, and no relationship to God. Clearly the only model for the marriage relationship of the Lord and the Church is the genuine marriage relationship of one man and one woman living and working together for the same eternal goals.

     But in such a genuine marriage relationship there is no dominance. It is not literally as Paul said, "The husband is head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church" (Ephesians 5:23). In a very real sense having faith in the Lord who is life itself involves the Church's submitting itself to the Lord's Divine love flowing in from within. But the Divine of the Lord through His Word also makes the Church. There is no Church without Divine Revelation. The true marriage is between the Divine love flowing in from within and the Divine truth flowing in from without through the Word. They work together for our salvation. Truth may seem to dominate for a time, or good may seem to dominate, but in reality there is a complete union with no dominance at all.

     The Lord, the True Husband of the Church, calls on the Church to respond freely.

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From His love He could never dominate or compel even as no true husband could ever force himself upon his wife. The Lord as it were courts the Church to respond to His outpouring love. And a genuine Church responds with a full and loving heart by doing what it sees in the Word to be true. When man freely chooses to love the Lord and live by the truth that he sees in the Word, then the Divine marriage takes place and flows into his mind and heart, and he becomes a real member of the Lord's Church.

     But when we remember that the Divine of the Lord makes the Church; and we speak of the Church as the Wife of the Lord, we speak not of the conjunction of two separate beings, but of a truly wonderful and ideal union. The Lord's love and His wisdom come together in perfect harmony. As the Church is in itself, it is Divine. But we members are receivers, and our reception is limited. We must not claim Divinity for ourselves.

     While in all humility we must recognize that the union of the Lord and the Church is an Infinite and Divine union nevertheless we can see in it many illustrations of how married partners should work together. Think for a moment of really revealing the truth about ourselves to our partners because we truly love them, the way the Lord reveals Himself in His Word. Think of being able to share the deep expression of prayer with one we love. Those in love even sometimes say that they "worship" the one they love. Think of striving to bring consolation, insights and peace to our partners when they suffer temptation or even if they yield to temptation. The Lord never condones the evil, but He is always there bending towards the good.. Should we not strive to be one in affection and thought in every word and work? God is the Divine Creator, but in a finite way He has given us the joy of cooperating with both His spiritual and natural creation. With our partners we can conceive, gestate, bear and nurture uses of the Church, with a similar love as that which drives us to conceive, gestate, bear and nurture our children.

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In doing so we work ever more closely together, with each other and with the Lord, but being finite, we do not come to full union. We are not God. Just as we acknowledge our natural children as gifts from the Lord, so we acknowledge that only the Lord can bring life to the uses of the Church that we share. Wherever the Church genuinely has faith in the Lord Who is life itself, the Divine of the Lord flows in from within and gives it life. But the Church can only have faith in the Lord, Who is life itself, when it sees Him as He reveals Himself in His Divine Word, when it can be said of the Church as spoken in Scripture, "His wife hath made herself ready."

     We make ourselves ready by reading and reflecting upon the Lord's teachings with the affection to see the truth. We make ourselves ready as a Church when as a Bride with love in our hearts we don the beautiful clothing of truth from deep love for the Lord. Then the Lord's life giving love can flow in and a new and lasting spiritual use is conceived. Such uses, conceived by truth are what make a spiritual home. The Church is where the Word is, where it is understood and where it is lived. Where there is such affection for the truth and an innocent desire to be led by it, the Lord Himself can enter in. We read, "The spiritual offspring which are born from the marriage of the Lord with the Church are truths, from which come understanding, perception, and all thought; and goods, which are love, charity, and all affections (Conjugial Love 121).

     As we have focused on those who makeup the membership of the Church, our emphasis has shifted to reception. So we read, "From the marriage of good and truth which proceeds and flows in from the Lord, man receives truth, and to this the Lord conjoins good; and that thus the Church is formed with man by the Lord" (Conjugial Love 122). This provides a way in which man can be inspired by good from the Lord, and yet not take it as coming from himself.

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"When in thought man sees truth, he rarely reflects upon the good that, from the love of the will flows into it and gives it life" (Conjugial Love 123). Yet it is so, and the Lord lets us feel life as if it were our very own. In this way we can have genuine faith in the Lord, Who is life itself.

     So the Divine of the Lord makes the Church as it is in itself. It is as if He as a potter molds it between His two hands one pressing from within and the other from without. One hand, the teachings of the Word outside of ourselves and the other hand, love pressing upon our hearts from within. As individual members we must focus on our dependence upon the Lord not only for the love which inspires our will, but for the truth which gives form to the uses we perform. In this sense everything good, everything true, everything useful is from the Lord. So far as we are pliable in His hands, He forms us for our eternal happiness in heaven. There is indeed a marriage of the Lord with the Church. He loves His Church with singleness of purpose and very deeply. We are His children.

     But as recipients of the One God we do not make the Church, we simply make up its membership, and we do so as mothers and fathers, and husbands and wives in the Church. Clearly then, the husband does not represent the Lord and the wife the Church, because both together, the husband and the wife make up the Church (Conjugial Love). "In the marriages of angels in the heavens, and of men on earth, there is not a correspondence of the husband with the Lord and of the wife with the Church" (Conjugial Love 126). "But there is a correspondence with conjugial love, with semination, prolification, the love of children, and like things which are in marriages and from them" (Conjugial Love 127). The correspondence is complete. A spiritual idea is conceived, it gestates until it is born as a new use. That use is nurtured and protected until it grows up and can stand and even be fruitful on its own.

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     But at this point let us reflect upon innocence for when we have faith in the Lord we want with all our hearts to follow Him. Innocence is defined in the doctrine as willingness to be led by the Lord. Husband and wife come together in a wonderful state of love when they are both willing to be led by the Lord. Arguments and disagreements fade, for the Lord's will is One. His truth teaches order, harmony and charity. When married partners are willing to be led by Him, they know states of inmost peace. That willingness to be led infills the states of semination and prolification, but it is particularly apparent in the love of children. We read, "The sphere of innocence inflows into infants and through them into parents and affects them" (Conjugial Love 395). This sphere particularly affects mothers and through them fathers. It inspires the desire to protect and support.

     But pursue this further. We are taught, "The church is and is so called from truth and the affection thereof" (Arcana Coelestia 3583). The Church is a church by virtue of the affection of truth which is signified by mother (Arcana Coelestia 2717). It functions not just as truth, but as the affection of truth. It must never loose sight of its motherly function to nurture and protect its uses and its people with tender care. When the Church as a wife looks to the Lord with deep affection, the Lord 's love flows in and inspires the sight of truth. It penetrates the knowledge from the Word and a spiritual idea is conceived. Reflect a moment. The action and the reaction of the seed and the ovum produce one living entity an entity which ultimately will act freely as if from self. As faith in the Lord Who is life governs the whole formation of the uses of the Church, so the soul governs the whole formation of the embryo. But the embryo is nurtured and takes form according to the substances in the womb of the mother. Two forces as it were come together into one life.

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     In the analogy, what is conceived and ultimately born is a new use in the life of the Church. Everything good and living in the Church comes from the Lord. But uses are not only procreated, they must be protected. "As a mother on earth nourishes her children with natural food; so does the church nourish her children with spiritual food" (True Christian Religion 306). We are taught, "Two universal spheres proceed from the Lord for the conservation of the universe in the state created; one of which is the sphere of procreating, and the other the sphere of protecting what is procreated" (Conjugial Love 386). As a Church we have a responsibility to both spheres - to procreate uses - and to nurture and protect them.

     As we think of mothers tenderly caring for their innocent children, we can be inspired to think of the Church tenderly caring for every good that is within it and every truth that it sees. If the Church is in innocence, such uses will be procreated in abundance. Any state of good or truth that we see in others will be nurtured and protected. Our mutual uses may begin as tender and innocent conceptions, but they have the potential to grow into full mature expressions of freedom and love.

     The Church has a responsibility to support and protect states of innocence both within and outside of walls. The innocence of the children of the Church does not yet know or understand what the Lord requires. But we must labor with all our hearts to nurture and protect those states, praying that with maturity they will understand and will freely make them their own through life. But outside the Church there are also many innocent hearts.. These states are often mixed and unclear. But they are not accountable for what they do not know. As they innocently do what they believe in their hearts serves God, the Lord takes them in his hands and molds them into good and useful servants. The organized Church also must nurture and protect such gentile states. It must make every effort to see that innocent states wherever they are learn the Word and never go hungry.

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     Innocence is at the heart of the Church as it is at the heart of genuine parenting. Together with peace innocence makes up the inmost state of a genuine marriage. Innocence in children inspires a corresponding willingness to be led in parents and can draw them together into a home dedicated to the Lord. When parents and children look to the Lord together with innocent hearts, there will be states of peace and happiness in that home. If we let the Word form our behavior and our motivation, the Lord will inflow with unparalleled warmth and love.

     Innocence is not a state without fault, for we all have faults. But it is the beginning of spiritual life. A tiny affection conjoined to a few thoughts from the Word can begin the process. Gestation and growth takes time, patience and trust. The Church, we as members of it, we as married partners, we as parents, cannot take one genuine step without innocence in our hearts. When we are willing to be led, the Lord can form us into heavenly families. As His children He can give us the thrill of conceiving and bearing uses to all eternity. He can mold a place for us where we can serve and grow together to all eternity. Of such innocence the Lord said, "Suffer the children and forbid them not to come unto Me for of such is the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 19:14). Amen

Lessons: Genesis 3:1?21, Exodus 35:25?36, True Christian Religion 306

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     The Rev. Robert S. Junge is well into retirement, but is celebrating and acting on behalf of Church uses still. He was inaugurated in 1955 and ordained as Pastor in 1957. He has served as Assistant to the Visiting Pastor in Western US (1955), Secretary to the General Church (1963), Principal to Bryn Athyn Church School (1970), Instructor at the Academy (1972), Dean of the Academy Theological School (1978), resident Pastor for the Hatboro?Horsham circle (1989), Pastor of Ivyland (1992) and Interim Pastor for Kempton Society (1996). He has been visiting Pastor to Baltimore Society since retiring in 2000 and also visits central Pennsylvania since 2008. Bob lives in Kempton, PA.

[Photograph of Rev. Robert Junge.]

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ADDRESS TO STUDENTS AT COLLEGE GRADUATION BANQUET BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE, MAY 22, 2009 2009

ADDRESS TO STUDENTS AT COLLEGE GRADUATION BANQUET BRYN ATHYN COLLEGE, MAY 22, 2009       Dr. KRISTIN KING       2009


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     I'd like to speak to you tonight about education and the life of the mind, and about you as graduates of Bryn Athyn College. And I'd like to do so in my role as an almost ex academic dean.

     It has been an amazing privilege to be the academic dean of Bryn Athyn College. The work has been tremendously rewarding and, given this time of extraordinary change, fascinatingly exhausting. We certainly have had earth?shaking change on campus.

     I choose the adjective earth?shaking very carefully. Last summer at a faculty retreat I spoke to my colleagues about the Jurassic Park feeling of the big equipment all over campus, the ominous sense of sitting quietly at one's desk early in the morning and noticing, out of nowhere, the water in one's glass begin to tremble. Trembling leads to wondering: "What exactly is coming around the corner?" and... "How big can it possibly be?"

     And after the heavy equipment??the bulldozers and backhoes, the cranes and crawlers, the drillers and dump trucks ??after all of these come the even heavier "Big Questions"....

     "What are we going to do to justify all this construction?"

     "Where are the students to fill these buildings?"

     My answer is that physical construction, even on a massive scale, is a only a pale reflection of the intellectual construction that goes on daily in higher education, and especially in New Church higher education. When higher education is at work, it blasts through the bedrock of narrow thinking, lays new foundations of knowledge and understanding, builds structure for the exchange of ideas, and opens new vistas and new perspectives where vision can shape new realities.

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     All good stuff. Right? Fancy metaphors. Except the truth remains, you people did not get to be in the new buildings. Instead of a new campus you got mud and the beep?beep?beeping of big equipment backing up across your path.

     If it is any comfort to you, let me say that the full campus will not be finished any time soon?it is a work in progress. Education is a work in progress. The New Church is a work in progress.

     So let me talk for a moment about progress and construction, both physical and spiritual. And beyond the question of "how many students will it take to fill these buildings?" let me draw attention to an equally important question: "What quality of students leaves our buildings?"

     You graduates have not had the opportunity to study in the new buildings, true, but your very lives, participating and unfolding in communities and workplaces far from here, will be themselves the satellite campuses of Bryn Athyn College.

     Whenever you apply what you have learned about moral, civil, and spiritual life, you extend the reach of the campus. Whenever you practice the fine art of being informed, open?minded, and committed, you add a new wing to Bryn Athyn College. When you raise families with the values and insights you have explored here, treasuring the life of the mind and creating space for the exchange of ideas and the practice of values, you pour new footers for Bryn Athyn College. You are the satellite campuses, and you are also the big equipment carving out new possibilities for intellectual life and new workplaces where spiritual values can take hold.

     So, to circle back to the heavy question of how do we keep up with the current construction on this campus, let me suggest that whenever you get a tough question, ask a more pressing one in return. Here's one.

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"How do all of us?students, bulldozers, professors, board members, administrators, alumni?keep up with our mission?" (That rather daunting mission to develop intellectual, moral, civil, and spiritual selves for the sake of human welfare.)

     A few years ago I stood in a one of the many libraries of a huge university in California. On the wall, chiseled in marble, was this quotation: "Give me a library, and I will build a university around it." I thought immediately of Bryn Athyn College and what we would chisel on such a wall. "Give us a new Revelation and we will...." What? What will we do with a new revelation? Will we build a new world around it? How big are the bulldozers for that?

     Obviously I am not talking about a physical campus or collections of buildings, though those are essential, and we cannot move forward without them. I am talking about an intellectual and spiritual campus. I am talking about the earth?shaking power of knowledge put to use, of urgings toward wisdom, of new perspective, and voice, and purpose. I am talking about what happens intellectually and spiritually in classrooms, in research, in study, in conversations, on campus certainly, but also beyond campus, through the extended reach of our graduates into the world.

     Every year at this time we faculty get a bit confused emotionally. We are happy for you graduates, proud of your accomplishments, grateful for the time you have spent with us, and eager for you to step out into full and productive lives. But let's be honest. We feel abandoned. You leave with youth, energy, and promise; we get left behind, one year older.

     This year, however, I have a better feeling about abandonment. Perhaps all the activity on campus has unleashed my optimism. Perhaps the bulldozers have awakened a sleeping giant.

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As I am stepping down, and you are stepping out, I think joyfully about the ways you take us with you when you leave.

     When you serve heaven by engaging productively with the world, through whatever profession, occupation, or vocation you choose, you take us with you. When you struggle to maintain integrity in your moral, civil, and spiritual lives, you take us with you. When you commit yourself to keep learning in every new environment, understanding humbly that you are a work in progress, bound for heaven, you take us with you.

     So whether you are going on for further degrees, or moving into the workforce or the home front, we wish you all the best. We thank you for sharing your minds and hearts with us. We have confidence in you, and we take great comfort in the knowledge and the faith that our future is in your lives and in your hands.
True Order 2009

True Order              2009


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      [T]he true order is for a person to become wise from the Lord, that is, from His Word. In that case everything follows as it should, and he is also enlightened in matters of reason and of fact. Indeed nobody is forbidden to acquire knowledge, since it is useful for life and gives delight. And the person in whom faith resides is in no way forbidden to think and to talk as learned people in the world do. But he does so from the premise of belief in the Lord's Word and of confirming spiritual and celestial truths by means of natural truths, using as far as is possible the terminology of the learned world. Consequently his premise must be the Lord, not self; the former is life, while the latter is death. Arcana Coelestia 129

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LOVE OF ONE'S COUNTRY 2009

LOVE OF ONE'S COUNTRY       CHARIS COLE       2009


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     The Writings say that we should love our country. In fact, the fourth commandment, "to honor father and mother" also means the same thing (True Christian Religion 305). Our native country is the neighbor above society because it is in place of a parent; there a man is born. It is to be benefited from love. He who loves his country and from good will benefits it, in the other life loves the Lord's Kingdom (Arcana Coelestia 6821). The most important thing we can do to benefit it is to vote wisely.

     Can we vote wisely if we know next to nothing about our founding principles, which make us a nation, our constitution, why our founders wrote it the way they did, and how our government and politics work?

     Many people pull the Conservative (US Republican) or Liberal (US Democratic) lever in the voting booth not knowing the names of their government representatives for whom they have voted let alone what they stand for, or how they have voted on issues in congress. All they know about the person they have voted for as President, is scraps of news from the secular media.

     The Writings tell us that we are not to just take someone's word. We are to think from our religious principles and look for the truth ourselves. The Writings tell us that there are people who believe something simply believe because some authority has said it. These are those who represent magpies (True Christian Religion 42, Arcana Coelestia 6924). We shouldn't believe a person just because of his learning and affectations of elegance, because these obscure the truth.

     Not only do people know little; they are much influence by the Liberal mainstream secular media. You must have notice that the media loves to push sex. They make heroes and celebrities over night of people devoid of character, if not depraved.

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They are championing all kind of immorality. Even a lot of New Church people accept things that were once considered morally unacceptable. The mainstream media doesn't believe that men and women are different. They are convincing most people that their aptitudes, jobs, and the uses for which they are suited are the same. Should women be soldiers and police? Some Liberals even tell us that to talk of a marriage of one man and women is hate. Then Liberals with media help try to ban God and the Ten Commandments from the Public Squares and public schools. What kind of a country would we have if no one obeyed the Ten Commandments? Should we listen to the Lord when He said, "Let little children come unto Me and forbid them not"? Do we put our faith in the secular media before the Writings, the Bible, and traditional values?

     Our citizens are so used to our freedoms that they don't worry about losing them. Our first citizens and people who have just come out from totalitarian countries know that freedom can be taken away by government and so they were and are watchful. Don't think you can trust all our leaders to do what is right. We know of many cases in which Congress men and women, and those running for congress, lie, embezzle, cheat on their spouses, use campaign money for private use, don't pay their taxes and say whatever they think will get them elected.

     Here is an example of what can happed if we don't study both sides of issues and read both Conservative and Liberal arguments carefully. Do you think that all the Germans who voted for Hitler were wicked and hated the Jews? Could it have been that their culture, like ours, was slipping and because Hitler promised to give everyone welfare from the cradle to the grave that they didn't notice how wicked were the things he was doing until it was too late? Then they were afraid that if they objected they would be put in prison or killed.

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     Don't get me wrong. I don't think we are in danger just yet of getting a Hitler for president. But very bad things can happen. Our economy and culture can get worse and worse. We can lose many of our freedoms. Our churches can be regulated, we can lose our freedom to choose our doctor, to run our business as we chose, to raise our children according to our own principles, and live our lives with the government telling us what we can and can't do. So please study up on both sides of political issues, on our history, our Constitution and how our government works, and don't believe whatever the secular media tells you. Look also to talk radio and other conservative media which are friendlier to religion and patriotism.
Jacob's Creek Family Camp 2009

Jacob's Creek Family Camp              2009


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     **July 30?August 2** Theme: Prayer

     Ministers: Brad Heinrichs, Stephen Cole, Matthew Genzlinger, Dan Heinrichs

     Comfortable accommodations in the Laurel Mountains of western Pennsylvania. Enjoy a spiritual retreat with all ages.

     Registration materials at:

     www.geocities.com/jcfamilycamp/index.html

     Or contact Blake and Paul Messman


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DECLARATIONS OF FAITH AND PURPOSE 2009

DECLARATIONS OF FAITH AND PURPOSE       Various       2009


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     Five new priests have been inaugurated, and will head out to serve The General Church uses.

     MARK ALLAIS

     [Photograph of Mark Allais]

     The Lord Jesus Christ is the One and only God of heaven and earth. I believe in the Second Coming of the Lord, in the spiritual sense of the Word and in the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem.

     I believe that faith in the Lord saves when partnered with a life of charity.

     I believe that charity is firstly, to look to the Lord and shun evil actions because they are from the devil and of the devil, and secondly, to do good works because they are of the Lord and from the Lord.

     I believe that a person should compel himself to do these things as if from his own power, but remembering that they are from the Lord working in him and through him.

     I believe that people are born into freedom and reason, to choose for themselves to respond to the Lord and to do His commandments.

     I believe that through a life of charity and faith, a person lays down his life and the Lord continually brings about a rebirth in preparation for heaven.

     I believe the Lord instituted the priesthood to teach all people the truths of faith and to thereby guide them to a life of charity.

     I have long desired to serve the Lord as a priest in His church, helping to make known the beauties of a heavenly life thereby dispelling the darkness of the world.

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     Lord, in presenting myself for ordination into the priesthood, I pray that you will use me and guide me in this most holy work.

     JAMES H. BARRY

     [Photograph of Jay Barry]

     I believe in one God, the Lord, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Source of all life, all that is good, all truth and all love.

     I believe that at a critical time in human history the Lord assumed human form in order to teach us the way to heaven by teaching Divine truths. These instruct us to turn away from evils and live the life of charity. This is the Lord Jesus Christ, the Redeemer and Savoir of the world.

     I believe in the spiritual life based on the Ten Commandments.

     I believe in the Lord's Second Coming, which is not a physical reappearance, but the revelation of the internal meaning of the Bible, which is the Word of the Lord. The internal sense is explained fully in the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Jerusalem. These reveal the nature of the Lord and His Creation and the ultimate purpose for which each one of us was born. The Heavenly Doctrines are such that they invite men and women of reason throughout the world to inquire into the teachings of the New Church, examine their own lives in respect to them, and see for themselves, in the light of their own understanding, that indeed the Lord has come again as He promised when He was on earth.

     The nature of my call to the ministry is to teach people of all ages, religions and creeds the content of these doctrines, so that all might be refreshed in their spiritual life, for these are the very waters of Divine truth from the Word of the Lord.

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     Heavenly Father, help me, lead me, guide me, not for myself, but so others might know You through me, for the sake of Your kingdom on earth and in heaven.

     ROBERT COOPER

     [Photograph of Robert Cooper]

     I believe that the Lord from eternity, who is Jehovah, came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human; and without this no mortal could have been saved; and those are saved who believe in Him.

     He removed hell from man by means of victories over temptations admitted into His Human, made feeble by a maternal heredity. He subdued hell, reduced it to order and made it obedient to Himself to

     eternity. By these means too, He glorified His Human which He took on in the world-united it with the Divine from which are all things, and cast off that maternal heredity. He became Righteousness Itself.

     The Lord God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is one in essence and in person, and in whom is a Divine trinity. This Trinity consists of the Divine Love, Divine Wisdom and Divine Uses that love and serve man, seeking for our happiness in a conjunction of love with Him.

     I believe that the Old and New Testaments, and the Heavenly Doctrines are a Divine Revelation which testify to these truths and bear witness to the two essentials of the New Church: the Divinity of the Lord's Human and the life of repentance and charity that leads to salvation and heaven.

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     My purpose as a priest of the New Church is to teach truths from the Word which lead to the good of life, and proclaim the wonderful news of the Second Coming.

     Lord, I pray that Your Second Coming may be received into people's hearts. Lord, I ask that You make me fit for serving You in this great cause: Humble my heart, impart Your wisdom, bend me to Your holy use. All Glory and Honor are Yours, forever and ever. Amen.

     COLEMAN S. GLENN

     [Photograph of Coleman Glenn]

     I believe that there is one God, in Whom is a Divine trinity, and that the Lord God the Savior Jesus Christ is that one. I believe that saving faith is to believe in Him. I believe that evils should not be done because they are of the devil and from the devil, and that goods should be done because they are of God and from God. I believe that a person should shun evil and do good as is if of himself while acknowledging that this is done by the Lord in him and through him.

     I believe that the Lord is now making His Second Coming in the revelation of the spiritual world and in the internal sense of the Word revealed in the Heavenly Doctrines given through Emanuel Swedenborg.

     O Lord Jesus Christ, let me be a laborer in Your field, to spread the Good News that You reign, and that Your kingdom will be forever and ever. Let me share with others the leaves of the tree that are for the healing of the nations. Give me wisdom to teach Your truth and lead by it to the good of life.

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Give me the strength to go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that You have commanded us. Help me to faithfully feed Your lambs and tend Your sheep. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.

     THANE P. GLENN

     [Photograph of Thane Glenn]

     I believe that our Lord, Jesus Christ, is with everyone throughout the whole world, standing and knocking1, urging and pressing at each person's heart2-in an unlimited variety of ways3. I believe that He is calling to His great Church all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues4-people of many different loves, different religious backgrounds, different beliefs, and different doctrinal expressions.5

     I believe that He is inviting every person to know Him, in His first and second comings, as a visible, Divine Human God-God with us.6 A God whose living voice we hear in His Gospels, in the stories and prophecies of the Old Testament Scriptures, and in the pages of His teachings for a New Church.

     A God who shares with us His grief, His joy, His truth, and His compassion.7 I believe that He is offering us in His commandments the possibility of an ever?renewing life.8

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Those rock?solid commandments, textured with His teachings, allow us to examine ourselves, to acknowledge the specific tendencies towards evil we struggle with; they allow us to return to Him for help and guidance; they allow us to rebuild our lives, day?to?day.9

     I believe that He wants us to know that His providence is leading us every day, in countless winding and roundabout ways, towards eternal happiness.10 I believe that when we look at our lives, what we see can at times look like scattered heaps of disordered building materials, while our Lord sees a magnificent palace, with its work of construction and enlargement continually going on.11

     I believe that the Lord God Jesus Christ reigns, and that His kingdom is for ages beyond ages.12

1 Revelation 3:20
2 True Christian Religion ?766
3 Divine Providence ?336, Arcana Caelestia ?1043, 1554
4 Revelation 7:9?10
5 Apocalypse Revealed ?365, 282, 483, 505, 627
6 True Christian Religion ?786?787
7 See, for instance, Arcana Caelestia ?1492, 2927, 3875, 5585
8 Apocalypse Revealed ?490
9 True Christian Religion ?567, 530; New Jerusalem and Its Heavenly Doctrine ?163
10 Divine Providence ?164
11 Divine Providence ?203
12 Revelation 11:15; True Christian Religion

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CROWDED STREET 2009

CROWDED STREET       Editor       2009


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     Who of us have not experienced walking along a very crowded street, perhaps near Christmas time, or around lunch time, and finding a path to follow that won't run you smack into someone else? Have you wondered how we learn to negotiate such crowds? It is sort of every individual finding a future slot to head for. You can apply the same to traffic, where courtesy eases tensions, and you feel relief that traffic is moving well, even if you are just sitting and waiting. Did you know that the Lord has a hand in all that? If we call it generally "self?preservation" we can extend this experience to countless other ones where we protect ourselves from harm as it were instinctively, while also meshing in with the activities of those around us. This quickly extends also to protecting others from harm, pulling someone back to the curb just in time from a car coming round the corner, or anticipating kids on the sidewalk, and braking. The "gaper delay" too is really a "safety delay," for who would be foolish enough to speed past pedestrians helping those around banged up vehicles?

     Just remember for a moment the feeling of finding your way through the moving mass of humanity on the sidewalk, or exiting from a stadium or concert venue. You meet people's eyes, and you judge vectors instantly, adroitly at times moving your shoulders parallel to your forward motion to fit slickety?clip between two moving masses. And from time to time, you smile and nod to a stranger, as you sense goodwill or high morals.

     And another reflection: isn't the crowded street where everyone is going about their business, with no harm intended by anyone, for anyone, thus a picture of perfect peace?

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Is it not Society at work, people in all the various uses and occupations moving with beneficent motives towards a temporary goal? Before we become angels, in the world of spirits, we people have to "train" for heaven. How? One way, by working together in "choirs," so that there is a unity of activity among many. A moving sidewalk, or trottoir as I grew up calling it, with streams of people meshing its way in opposite directions, with smiles, a nod of recognition of a neighborly face even if you never saw them before, a silent "owsit goin?" as you brush past, it is really a wonder to experience.

     Well now for the Lord's role in it: "It was perceived that all the reflections which a man exercises, as in regard to seeing and looking out for himself while he walks, besides others elsewhere spoken of; in a word, that he enjoys the use of his senses ?this he has solely from the Lord, from whose influx it is that he exercises a general reflection enabling him to avoid injury from the persons and things that he meets with. All this arises from a certain general reflection or advertence which flows in from the Lord's care towards everyone, and without which reflection is never enjoyed; and so in other things" (Spiritual Experiences 3991).

     General Advertence: yes, that is keeping on your toes. Avoiding injury, yes even at four miles per hour, when two bodies smack into each other, adds up to eight miles. Run into a wall and appreciate how important it is to avoid that encounter. You "see and look out for yourself while you walk, enjoying the use of your senses." Well, all of this, we have "solely from the Lord, from whose influx it is that we exercise a general reflection enabling us to avoid injury from the persons and things that we meet."

     You smile? Why? Don't you believe it? It says so: the Lord is taking care that we don't bump into each other. Extend that to the work place, where we "bump" into our colleagues in other ways, sometimes inadvertently taking over their job or onus, receiving a wry smile and thanks, "I'll take it from here," and it is all resolved without coming to blows.

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There may be a company meeting a couple of times, where boundaries of responsibilities are clarified, so that someone's enthusiasm doesn't remove the bread from a colleague's table!

     Similarly, there are actually law courts in heaven. Courts? In heaven? Yes! Higher and lower ones (Conjugial Love 207). They also have "mechanical arts" in heaven. Wow, I can keep my Ferrari?! Or have your first one? Well, perhaps "Chariotari." In any case, the courts would be adjudicating the personal "running into each other" or "injuries" from running into metaphysical obstacles in performing your use. The reasons are ever the same: not taking proper care, or being moved by something not entirely unselfish. Angels are perfected to eternity, and lets also recall that the imperfection of the Celestial angels was one of the reasons for the Lord needing to make His Advent to begin with, since the human race slipped away from the celestial sovereignty. The Lord had to take over, directly, by His Advent (Arcana Coelestia 2776:2, 6371:2). "It was no longer possible for that light to be provided by way of heaven" (#4180:5). No matter how perfect an angel, they are still impure compared with the Good and Truth that proceeds from the Lord.

     Regardless of angelic imperfection compared to the Infinite, the Lord nonetheless wills to give angels their eternal happiness by letting them perform HIS uses for Him, even though in and by Himself, "the Lord does not need the aid of any angel" (Arcana Coelestia 8719). It means simply that only the Lord could do everything perfectly. Thus, "in order that the angels there may have functions and duties, and therefore life and happiness in keeping with the duties and services they perform," "He acts indirectly through heaven" (ibid.)

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     Without the Lord's merciful flowing in through heaven, angels would just sit idly on the curbs of the streets and play cards all day! Without their inspiration, we would not have any urge to perform useful services, find a job. It is for the sake of the eternal happiness of angels, that the Lord created the universe so that 'work' is part of the human eco?system. Same in heaven: the Gorand Man of uses means angels work every day, to eternity: however, all their homes, clothing and food are given to them "gratis" without charge! (Divine Love and Wisdom 334). So why work? Because it benefits other angels. It is the likeness of the Lord's own love, to give of itself until there is nothing left (True Christian Religion 43). With the Lord's love being Infinite, angels receive in their regenerate wills the love to give of themselves in their uses. So also all human uses, functions, offices, employments etc. serve the neighbors' needs, and give of themselves to others, for no thought of reward. Every person as also every angel is benefited by myriads of others also performing their uses. You give 'one' of yourself into the system, and receive 'million?fold' of potential and actual benefits. That is the perfect economy. Help others, and your fridge is full to bursting, even before thinking of asking. Give others precious things, and your own shelves burst with more objects. Well, figuratively. That is in heaven. Nothing is wanting to angels, just because they love to give to others, and they love "the neighbor more than themselves." Just imagine: every paper clip accounted for! So "upon the earth." That is the joy of heaven, something we experience at family gatherings, special Church weekends, celebrations at work and in the public domain. No one is running into anyone.

     So the crowded street may be just the thing to reflect on, as a specimen of the perfection of heaven. Don't grumble next time you bump into anyone, just appreciate how often the Lord has prevented anyone from tripping over someone else, all because the majority of individuals of moving humanity on the busy street are ipso facto bona fide gratis homo sapiens, destined in their goodwill jobs, for the uses of heaven.

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Everyone's "general reflection or advertence" which "avoids injury from the persons and things that he meets with" "flows in from the Lord's care towards everyone." (Spiritual Experiences 3991). What the Lord is doing, and the uses being performed by honest individuals, is witnessed in and by a veritable gear?box of moving human beings.
Two Foundations of Truth. 2009

Two Foundations of Truth.              2009


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     The foundations of truth, that they are two, one from the Word, the other from nature or from the truths of nature; and that the foundation from the Word is for the universal heaven, thus for those who are in the light [lux] of heaven; but the foundation from nature, for those who are natural and in natural light [lumen], .... all things of heaven constantly have their foundation in the laws of the order of nature, in the world and in man, so that the foundation remains permanently fixed; just as are the body and the things which are of the body and its sensation, compared with the interior things which are of the will and understanding. Spiritual Experiences 5709

     The Word... is the foundation itself, but only for those who live well and acknowledge [it] as holy and Divine; but, with those who are in doubt respecting it, either by reason of various things in the sense of the letter, and the style, and such things as they think to be trifling, and for other reasons ?for them the Word such as it is in the internal sense, or in its interiors, must be laid open even by natural truths, by means of which conflicting ideas are thrown off. ...Nothing can be founded upon scientifics except it be previously founded upon the Word. This must be first: the other is only a confirmation from man's scientifics. Spiritual Experiences 5710

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COMMUNICATIONS 2009

COMMUNICATIONS       Various       2009


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A Reply To "Correspondence, Origins, Causes and Uses of Disease" (May 2009, pp. 183?193):

Dear Editor,

     Dr. Fredrik (Figge) Bryntesson's article on Correspondence, Origins, Causes and Uses of Disease: A New Church Perspective, NCL May 2009, is of great interest to me. (Of equal interest is Rev. Dr. Reuben Bell's unpublished manuscript on Spiritual Considerations for Health and Disease, which I have also read.)

     As Figge shows from passages in the Writings, diseases come from hell, from those who are "steeped in desires and cravings for what is evil" (Arcana Coelestia 5713). His concluding thought to his article is whether we have a responsibility to ourselves and future generations to make spiritually healthy decisions in our lives.

     I believe that it is incumbent on each of us to regenerate, and regeneration is the lifelong process of making spiritually healthy decisions. This is primarily for the sake of promoting the descent of the New Jerusalem to earth and of fulfilling the Lord's desire for each of us to become an angel of heaven but, coincidentally, of limiting the power of the hells to cause natural diseases.

     Several passages in the work Divine Love and Wisdom have helped me to gain an understanding of how the evil desires and cravings of those in hell can invade our bodies in the form of diseases. (Of course, in our own unregenerate states, we are in hell, steeped in desires and cravings for what is evil, and may be responsible for our own diseases.) Also, I believe that these Divine Love and Wisdom passages are a key to understanding how we can, at least to the best of our ability, turn away from Divine Love and Wisdom 136:

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"... the form of the body corresponds to the form of the understanding and will...It is from this that the mind (that is, the will and understanding) rules the body at its pleasure, thus as entirely as it rules its own self. From all this it follows that the interiors of the mind act as a one with the interiors of the body, and the exteriors of the mind with the exteriors of the body."

     Divine Love and Wisdom 137: "Since the interiors of the mind make one with the interiors of the body, it follows that when the interiors of the mind turn themselves to the Lord as a sun, those of the body turn themselves in like manner; and because the exteriors of both, of mind as well as body, depend upon their interiors, they also do the same...From this it is evident that as an angel turns his face and body to the Lord as a sun, all the interiors of his mind and body are turned in the same direction. It is the same with man, if he has the Lord constantly before his eyes, which is the case if he is in love and wisdom. He then looks to the Lord not only with eyes and face, but also with all the mind and all the heart, that is, with all things of the will and understanding, together with all things of the body."

     Divine Love and Wisdom 138: "This turning to the Lord is an actual turning, a kind of elevation; for there is an uplifting into the heat and light of heaven, which takes place by the opening of the interiors; when these are opened, love and wisdom flow into the interiors of the mind, and the heat and light of heaven into the interiors of the body."

     Divine Love and Wisdom 219: "The interiors of the mind correspond to the interiors of the body, and the interiors of the body correspond to the exteriors, through which actions come forth; consequently the two prior degrees have power through the exteriors of the body."

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     We are told that when the interiors and exteriors of the mind turn themselves to the Lord, the interiors and exteriors of the body do so as well; that this is an actual turning which causes the heat and light of heaven to flow into the interiors of the body; that the interiors of the mind and body have power through the exteriors of the body. In my view, this is the way in which we can limit the power of the hells to cause diseases. If we turn our minds to hell, we allow the interiors of our minds, which are in evil, to flow ultimately into our bodies in the form of diseases. However, if we turn our minds to the Lord by shunning evils as sins against Him, we allow the heat and light of heaven to flow into the interiors of our bodies. By so doing, we shut the door on the hells and on their ability to cause disease, and consequently we invite health.

     So if we would limit natural diseases, we must limit spiritual diseases by being in love and wisdom to the Lord through regeneration, so looking to Him with all things of the will and understanding and of the body.

     Heulwen Ridgway
     Canberra, Australia


     A Reply to New Church Connection

To the Editor:

     I was alarmed to read in New Church Connection Outreach magazine, that perhaps the reason there are so many religions is that "...?each with its unique external forms, traditions, and Sacred Scriptures,...all lead...to the same destination. Religion, then, like music, is adapted to different cultural backgrounds and various states of consciousness. Just as there is not 'one right song' or 'one right flower' or 'one right tree,' there is not 'one right religion.'

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Any religion that leads to God is 'right; because, ultimately, this is the aim of religious life?to find a way that leads us away from selfishness and into the presence of the Divine."

     But, I read, in the Heavenly Doctrines through Emanuel Swedenborg that, "The doctrine of the faith of the church at this day ascribes to God human properties; as that He regarded man from anger, that He required to be reconciled, that He is reconciled through the love He bore towards the Son, and by His intercession; and that He required to be appeased by the sight of His Son's sufferings, and thus to be brought back to mercy; and that He imputes the justice of His Son to an unjust man who supplicates it from faith alone; and that thus from an enemy He makes him a friend, and from a child of wrath a child of grace" (Brief Exposition 60?63).

     Also, "The opening and rejection of the dogmas of the faith of the church at this day, and the revelation and reception of the dogmas of the faith of the New Church, is meant by these words in the Apocalypse: 'He that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new; and He said, Write, for these words are true and faithful." (ibid, 95?98 emphasis added)

     And finally, "...The heresies from the first ages to the present day, have sprung up from no other source than from the doctrine founded on the idea of three Gods" (Brief Exposition 64e).

     Those who are of the New Church know that, today, not one stone of truth from past churches remains upon another; every truth has been either falsified or receives only lip service. I believe it is very wrong for the New Church to officially declare: "We be brothers with all the faiths of the world, for they all lead to God?" We have been taught most clearly that this is not the case. Let us not commingle truth with falsity, and let us not deceive or be deceived. This is a New Church! Have we not been commanded by the Lord our God to declare it?

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     I know there are numbers in the Writings teaching that those in falsity who nevertheless live well will be saved, but I perceive this to be very far from the message I just quoted from The New Church Connection. I don't believe that such "all?may?be?saved" teachings answer my concern or have any bearing on this matter.

     Martin E. Klein,
     Lake Worth, FL


     In Regards to the Academy:

To the Editor:

     Since there is little doubt that the right thing is being done in using the Academy as bait, let me quote from 1978 NCL, p. 270, from Rev. D.M. Taylor's address that year to the Council of the Clergy, entitled, Some Thoughts on Evangelization: "...in our methods there is to be no deceit, no compulsion or persuasion, no watering down of the doctrine, no leading to self or to the aggrandizement of the organization. It is the Lord's Kingdom that is to be kept clearly in mind at all times.

     "We are promised that if we do seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, then natural things can be added. In evangelization this means new members. The increase I membership will be the effect. The spread of the lord's Kingdom will be the aim or end. The means to that end will be skill in presenting the Lord's truth in an interesting way. The effect of this will automatically and undoubtedly be an increase in membership. But note that [an increase in membership] is only the effect of the end and the means combined. It is not an end in itself.

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     "From this it is obvious that we should not have as our primary aim the extension of the Church organization. Any natural man can promote a membership drive in any natural organization. The Lord would not enter into it at all.

     "We could in face have an enormous increase in membership, and yet lose our own soul ?lose sight of the Lord's Kingdom. The Church could become just another kingdom of the world. Once again, let us remember the Lord's warning in Matthew 16:26 "What is a man profited if he should gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

     "If we allowed the natural man to take over, the end would become the enlargement of the organization. The means would be any way at all of insinuating the teachings that would achieve that end, whether we believed them or not. And the effect would then be that the Lord's kingdom was overlooked and trampled underfoot.

     "In everything that we do we are to seek the Lord's righteousness, not our own. This applies to all forms of the work of evangelization. For [we read in True Christian Religion 712]: 'What is charity but the good that man does from the Lord? And what is Faith but the truth that a man believes from the Lord?' ... And [in Psalm 127:1,2]: 'Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it. Except the Lord keep the city, the watchman wakes but in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows, for so He gives to His beloved sleep.'"

     See further 1904 NCL p. 148, 216, and 273?4, also 1905 p. 44, 45.

     Sincerely, V.C. Odhner, Jr.
     Warren, PA

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ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, BRYNATHYN COLLEGE and SECONDARDY SCHOOLS CALENDAR ONE HUNDRED and THIRTYTHIRD SCHOOLYEAR 2009 2009

ACADEMY OF THE NEW CHURCH THEOLOGICAL SCHOOL, BRYNATHYN COLLEGE and SECONDARDY SCHOOLS CALENDAR ONE HUNDRED and THIRTYTHIRD SCHOOLYEAR 2009              2009


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Aug 24 Mon College RAs arrive on campus
     26 Wed All new international students arrive on campus
     27?29 Thu?Sat New international students orientation
     27,28 Thu?Fri College faulty retreat
     28 Fri PAC meeting
     29 Sat All College students arrive on campus
     30 Sun New College students orientation
          Secondary Schools students arrive on campus
     31 Mon Registration in all schools

Sept 1 Tue Secondary Schools fall term begins
          College and Theological School service day and dinner
     2 Wed College and Theological School fall classes begin
     7 Mon College and Theological School Labor Day Holiday
     9 Wed Opening worship (Cathedral)
     10 Thu President's address and reception (MPAC)

Oct 9 Fri Charter Day
     8:00am Annual Meeting of ANC Corporation (MPAC)
     10:30amService (Cathedral)
     9:00pm Dance (Dining Hall)
     10 Sat 7:00pm Banquet (Asplundh Field House)
     12 Mon Charter Day Holiday
     26?30 Mon?Fri College registration for winter term

Nov 13 Fri College and Theological School fall term classes end
     16 Mon College reading day
     17?20 Tue?Fri College and Theological School exams, fall term ends
     18?20 Wed?Fri Secondary Schools fall term exams, fall term ends
     23,24 Mon,Tue Secondary Schools career day/senior trip
     25?29 Wed?Sun Secondary Schools Thanksgiving break
     29 Sun All resident students return to campus
     30 Mon Winter term begins

Dec 18 Fri Secondary Schools Christmas vacation begins (noon)
     College and Theological Christmas Vacation begins following classes

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     2010

Jan 3 Sun Resident Students return to campus
     4 Mon Classes resume
     18 Mon Martin Luther King Jr. Day (holiday)
     25?29 Mon?Fri College registration for spring term

Feb 15 Mon Secondary Schools President's Day (holiday)
          College and Theological School President's Day in?school observance
     19 Fri College and Theological School winter classes end
     22 Mon College and Theological School reading day
     23?26 Tue?Fri College and Theological School exams, winter term ends
     24?26 Wed?Fri Secondary Schools exams, winter term ends
     26 Fri Spring Break begins

Mar 7 Sun Secondary Schools residents return
     8 Mon Secondary Schools spring term classes begin
     14 Sun College and Theological School resident students return to campus
     15 Mon College and Theological School spring term classes begin

Apr 2 Fri College and Theological School Good Friday (holiday)
     2?5 Fri?Mon Secondary Schools Easter Break
     12?16 Mon?Fri College pre?registration for declared majors
     26?29 Mon?Thu College pre?registration for undeclared majors
     30 Fri Bryn Athyn College weekend (through May 3)

May 2 Sat 1:00pm Semiannual meeting of ANC Corporation (MPAC or Pendleton Hall)
     21?25 Fri Secondary Schools senior spring term exams
     24?26 Mon?Fri Secondary Schools freshman?junior spring term exams
     27 Thu 6:30pm Secondary Schools senior dinner and graduation dance
     28 Fri 10:00am Secondary Schools graduation
     24?27 Mon?Thu College and Theological School exams
     28 Fri 6:30pm College and Theological School graduation dinner and dance (Cairnwood Mansion)
     29 Sat 10:00am College and Theological School graduation (MPAC)

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LAUREL CAMP, JULY AND AUGUST 2009

LAUREL CAMP, JULY AND AUGUST              2009


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     Building community through Christian family camps, based on the Lord's word, including the Heavenly Doctrine as revealed through Emmanuel Swedenborg. That's the mission of Laurel Family Camp, and it continues again this year with two separate sessions. Week 1 will be held from July 26?August 1, 2009 and Week 2 will be held from August 2?August 8, 2009. The camp began in the early 1970's as a young person's camp, and has grown into the family camp it is today. The location has remained the same, at the Laurel Hill State Park, in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.

     There's plenty going on at Laurel. A morning worship and evening vespers ground the camp each day. There's a morning program for children, teens, and adults. Each day includes adult sessions with talks and discussion by both ministers and laypersons. Small group sessions are standard each day, allowing everyone to feel connected. Everyone is on staff, and shares the chores. It's difficult to explain how, but each year, a special community comes together magically at Laurel.

     There is a new theme each year. This year the overall theme is Faith and Experience, with specific sub?topics each day. Some thoughts to be explored at camp:

     "Jesus said to Thomas, 'because you have seen Me, you have believed: blessed are those who have not seen, and yet have believed'" (John 20:29).

     "I have seen, I have heard, I have felt " (Swedenborg in Heavenly Secrets 68 ).

     Through our sight, other senses and with our faith, we experience good things and not?so?good things. Sometimes our experiences are big and dramatic, even life changing. They can be euphoric or distressing, thrilling or chilling. Mostly they are the daily ups and downs and in betweens of life. How can our experiences help strengthen our faith? How can faith give experience meaning?

     Also this year, there will be a "service week" (July 20?24) for young adults. It's an opportunity to spruce up the facilities, and "give back" to the camp, as well as a great time to work with friends. See Cathy Schnarr for details.

     There is still room at both Laurel sessions. Visit www.laurelcamp.org for more details. Or email laurelcamp@comcast.net or contact Rob or Susie Andrews.

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ORDINATIONS 2009

ORDINATIONS              2009


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     ANNOUNCEMENTS

     Announcements
     Allais, Mark Barry-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 24, 2009, into the first degree, Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline officiating.

     Barry, James Headsten-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 24, 2009, into the first degree, Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline officiating.

     Cooper, Robert Andrew-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 24, 2009, into the first degree, Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline officiating.

     Glenn, Coleman Starkey-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 24, 2009, into the first degree, Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline officiating.

     Glenn, Thane Powell-At Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania, May 24, 2009, into the first degree, Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline officiating.
Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue        Editor       2009


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     We return to Rev. Martie Johnson who preaches as a Chaplain on the USS Stennis. Did you know the Writings in scripture configurations quotes Paul's Epistles extensively in support of the Doctrines? So does Martie, in taking Bishop Kline's contacting one million people, seriously! How does the Holy Spirit operate in you?

     Which minister has served in Sydney, London, Pittsburgh, Bryn Athyn, as Editor of New Church Life, and also presided often in the Wynter Room? Who else but our beloved Donald L. Rose. See his comments on some of those experiences. How did the hand of Providence change his life? - My Thanks to Carina Heinrichs for performing and writing this interview.

     In "Bright Lady" Landon Synnestvedt considers how the works of C. S. Lewis compare with the Writings. How does the Woman Clothed with the Sun, or Michael fighting the Dragon, relate to us in our lives?

     Richard Linquist reflects on New Church History. How many New Church landmarks round the world have been based on the Word, both of the first and second coming? And what is the common thread in his observations?

     There is a response from the Chairman the General Church Development Committee, Bob Heinrichs on "Hope" in our last issue. There is a strong appeal for understanding how economy works in the Church. How can we help carry out Church growth? The message itself cannot be lost.

     Note the Bishop's Announcement this issue.

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GOT HOLY SPIRIT? 2009

GOT HOLY SPIRIT?       Jr. Rev. MARTIE JOHNSON       2009


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     Last year at Barry University in Miami, FL, I had a chance to present on the New Church understanding of the Holy Spirit. In a room full of clergy with differing views, the one thing we agreed on was that the Holy Spirit is not a dove.

     As I thought about it, (maybe you agree) I believe we just don't talk about the Holy Spirit enough in our Church, and it is the very power and force that operates in us to makes us able to change from the image to the likeness of God. Many of my classmates, who come from the Vatican II Catholic perspective, were listening to my presentation, and while I was ready to jump up and say, "Yeah!...and efflux is according to influx and vice versa!" it just didn't seem right.

     While it certainly true that The Divine Providence would have been helpful, it was a lot easier to talk about a simple idea from True Christian Religion 142-146 to illustrate the plain (genuine truth) teachings of scripture.

     Let's face it: the ideas on Christian virtues that we are to learn and practice are given for our consideration and adoption to change our lives. Why? We can read, attend church, and fellowship until the cows come home, but we are responsible for "working out our salvation" (Philippians 2:12), and the Writings instruct us to call on the Holy Spirit to move from the image of God to His likeness and from reformation of our lives to a life of regeneration and salvation by the Lord. How?

     The Divine Virtue and Operation, signified by the Holy Spirit, consists, in general, in reformation and regeneration; and following upon these, renewal, vivification, sanctification and justification; and following upon these again, purification from evils and remission of sins; and finally salvation (True Christian Religion 142).

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The Four Virtues: The Tools of Re-formation

     There is nothing new about the four virtues. They are derived from Plato and were adapted by Augustine and then made known by Thomas Aquinas (who "Christianized" a lot of philosophical work from the ancient world). You may have run into these virtues in your studies in school. I like movies, so one place they were mentioned was in the movie "Gladiator," in which a character playing the role of Commodus utters them just before committing patricide to become Emperor of Rome. The four (cardinal) virtues are Prudence, Justice, Temperance, and Fortitude. In terms of Christianity, these virtues were instrumental in the construction of morality in the formation of western civilization. How might this relate to us in New Christianity?

     The Lord defeated death and evil itself and took away every power of hell to assail our souls. He also restored the freedom lost and manipulated by hell and gave us a map to follow Him. The two commandments are the baseline for our faith and actions to follow the Lord. From this baseline, we can move and enter His Kingdom and heaven itself by the virtues of renewal, vivification, sanctification, and justification. "This is brought about by means of Divine Truth, and in the case of Christians, by means of the Word, as this is the only means by which people approach the Lord and into which the Lord enters" (True Christian Religion 142). In other words, we need the Holy Spirit! In the book of Acts of the Apostles, the early/original Christians were instructed to wait for the Holy Spirit, and the "good books for the Church" can help us understand its import then and even more clearly now via the spiritual sense. In fact, "the Lord's operation in rendering these virtues effective is the work of the Holy Spirit, which He sends to those who believe on Him, and who prepare themselves to receive Him."

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     (Swedenborg then quotes Ezekiel 18:31 "Make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit" and Zechariah 12:1 "Jehovah forms the spirit of man within him" (True Christian Religion 143).

"Saving Graces in Everyone" and For Everyone

     "The Lord without ceasing renders effective those saving graces in everyone for they are the steps to heaven, and the Lord wills the salvation of all people; thus the salvation of all is the end He has in view" (True Christian Religion 142). With this eternal love from the Lord, all we need to do is progress spiritually by using these tools, the virtues, to help us change our lives by the power of the Holy Spirit. "If there is the love of truth, then it is like sacred fire which flowed into the Apostles, as is thus described in the Acts: 'And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:3-4).'" (True Christian Religion 146). This is the zeal that we commemorate every June 19th when we remember the apostles going out to the world.

Taking the stairs of salvation

     In the Church, we know that faith without works is dead, and so we know that faith alone is not enough. "Faith is nothing but truth, and charity is nothing but goodness ... By means of Divine Truth a person is reformed and regenerated and then renewed, quickened, sanctified and justified; as those virtues progress and develop, he is also purified from evil and purification from these is the remission of sin." (True Christian Religion 142 emphasis added). Our transformation is to be re-formed, and the steps are simple. In our individual spiritual journeys, we know that sometimes it is not easy to change attitudes, feelings, and habits. Wanting to be changed is one thing, being changed is another. Yet, we must take the steps, and when it gets tough, we must ask the Lord to order them and help us ascend and overcome the darkness that sometimes assails our humanity.

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"Come and let us go..."
Step 1: Renewal-Hope in God and grow in faith.

     "God give me strength!" I heard this phrase a fair amount from my mother when I was growing up. It meant that she was renewing both her ire and her love for me after I found yet another way to be an 8-year-old boy. Of course, renewal is that strength "to grow in a will to what is good" (Arcana Coelestia 3901). As the Writings tell us, the source of this is the Holy Spirit. "When the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit..." (Titus 3:5). Being renewed is knowing that the Lord is here with you and that this life will not overtake you. So this first step is a big one because it asks us not to give up hope because of past evils or current temptations. It is the step of courage. "Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16).

Step 2: Vivification-Put morality and spirituality together in your life.

     "'The Holy Spirit' is the life of the Lord's wisdom..." (Lord 51). The opening of our eyes to His truth must interact with our prayer and being. This is the step of becoming, and it can be tough because it means having a new sense of integrity with ourselves. The life we live and have lived helps us gather the Lord's wisdom to ourselves. Wisdom comes from education and experience. We have all been taught many life lessons, but we probably have not learned some of them or learned from them. We are all quickened by the Lord differently. Because we are unique and have had varied life experiences, we are all in different states to receive the Lord's encouragement and leading. The Holy Spirit exists to vivify us all in a life lived and not just a moral life. The Holy Spirit is the power from the Lord that illuminates "the things that belong to the moral life, [so they] may be vivified.

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This is evident from the signification of 'confirming,' as being to vivify the moral life by means of truths; for truths from the Word are what vivify it; and when it is vivified it is also confirmed, for it then acts as one with the spiritual life; for spiritual life and moral life act as one with those who are spiritual, as will and action do; will is of the spiritual man and its life, and action is of the moral life lived" (Apocalypse Explained 188). How does your life's experience bring you new wisdom? Where have you turned suffering into growth? Have you thanked God for wisdom and shared it?

Step 3: Sanctification-Becoming holy is the journey of all saints.

     Yes, we are saints. It's an old term, but it is powerful. I don't think we have to worry about this meaning that we are somehow perfect. This step is one of commitment and asks us to not just make changes but to be changed and work to stay that way. This is a step that asks us to use our faith to stretch and be better people now, not later. "No one is holy from himself, not even the angels may be seen (Job 15: 14, 15); but [one can be holy] from the Lord, because the Lord is the 'Only Holy' (Revelation 15.4, see n. 173)" (Apocalypse Revealed 586). Who is a saint? "They are termed 'saints' who live in accordance with the truths of the Word, not that they are holy, but that the truths in them are holy, and these are holy when they are in them from the Lord, and the Lord is in them with the truths of His Word (John 15:7)" (ibid.). Sanctification for the children of Israel was simple: "Those who lead a life of truth, and go on to lead a life of good, are withheld from evils and maintained in good by the Lord. The good they have from the Lord is the holiness with them. Consequently in the measure that they receive good from the Lord they are holy; and the measure of good they receive from the Lord, that is, the measure in which they are holy, is determined by how far they lead a life of good in keeping with the genuine truths of faith, and by how far at that time they believe that all the good they think and do then begins in the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia 8806 emphasis added).

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As people who receive the love and light of Christ, we are "temples of the living God. As God has said: I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, And they will be my people" (2 Corinthians 6:16). The Holy Spirit from the Lord will abide in us, and we will be changed because He is Holy and "...having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Corinthians 7:1).

Step 4: Justification-We are Saved for Good Works.

     As Christians, we are not saved by faith alone. The Lord returned free will to us all, and we actively cooperate in "working out [our] salvation" (Philippians 2:12). The Holy Spirit is here to help us work things out for ourselves. This step encourages us to share and have humility in what we are able to do from the Holy Spirit. "[To] take away a person's co-operation [is to] take his capacity to receive..." (True Christian Religion 505). We are not only justified by Christ, as Paul pens in the book of Romans. We are to act from it, not merely rest and claim the Lord's work for us. The converse is true as well. We can never buy the Lord's love or be justified by good deeds done. "Did you receive the spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith?" (Galatians 3:2). "What then does [an action] become [on our part] but something purely ideal, or a mere product of the reason?" (True Christian Religion 505) Justification is not static but dynamic, and it is a moving and changing state in us as we draw closer to the Lord and His will for our life. "A person is not saved by faith alone but by faith which expresses itself through love" (Anthony Coniaris). We must bear fruit in life and relationship to each other and Christ, based on our faith in action, not on the Lord's merit or the work of His redemption for humankind.

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To conclude: Each of these steps work together to get us moving-they pick us up when we are down, they strengthen us when we feel weak, they remind us of the Lord's light when we find ourselves in the dark, and they steer the way to a life of regeneration from the Lord's love. With the help of the Holy Spirit, the four virtues awaken and purify us to receive even more light for the Lord, and this pushes away all the hurt and pain of sin in our lives by remitting them. I pray that we all strive to enact the four virtues of the Church every day so that we are renewed and vivified and continue to do the work of sanctification as we cooperate with the Lord to honor "His Kingdom come and His will be done on earth as it is in heaven..." Amen.

Lessons: Psalm 51:1-13, Philippians 2:5-18, True Christian Religion 142-146

     The Rev. Martie Johnson Jr. was inaugurated into the priesthood in 2001 and ordained into the second degree in 2002. He served as Assistant to the Pastor in Boulder, Colorado in 2001, also traveling in the Western United States. In 2003 he became the Pastor for the Cascade New Church in Seattle, Washington, still visiting in the northwestern areas. From 2005 he has been on active duty as Chaplain in the United States Navy, and is finishing this work in the Seattle area. Martie and his wife Melinda (Simons) and family live in Seattle.

[Photograph of Rev. Martie Johnson.]
INTERVIEW WITH THE REVEREND DONALD L. ROSE 1 2009

INTERVIEW WITH THE REVEREND DONALD L. ROSE 1       CARINA HEINRICHS       2009


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     "He who loves the neighbor as himself perceives no delight in charity except in its exercise, or in use; and therefore a life of charity is a life of uses. Such is the life of the whole heaven; for the kingdom of the Lord, because it is a kingdom of mutual love, is a kingdom of uses. Every pleasure therefore which is from charity, has its delight from use. The more noble the use, the greater the delight. Consequently the angels have happiness from the Lord according to the essence and quality of their use" (Arcana Coelestia 997).

     Rev. Donald L. Rose: "This is a course in Geography and history because I was ordained in 1957, and back in those days, it is hard for you to imagine how little communication there was. Not only did we not have e-mail, we didn't even have airmail! I went to Australia, and if I sent a letter, it didn't go by plane. It went by ship. In those days the phone was not what it is today. It was seldom used overseas. So if you went overseas, it was a long way away because when you sent a letter, you would ask so many questions, and even if they responded immediately, you would get a response in about four weeks. When I first went to Australia, I went by boat, but when I came home six years later, I flew."

     "Part of the job of the minister for the Hurstville society was to be a minister for New Zealand as well. Can you picture New Zealand? Well, when I went, the idea was that I would be the minister for Australia and New Zealand, and I thought "oh, that's nice; they are close to each other." When you draw a picture of Australia, New Zealand is a little island that looks close to it, but when you get there, it is a 1,000 miles away.

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     "I went there in 1957...I would go for a long time without communication from other ministers, so I had to think up a way to stay doctrinally sound, and not go off the deep end. So I wrote an article entitled "Guarding Against Heresy." And that was published in New Church Life! That article was as much for me as for everybody else. So, anyway, when I got to Australia, I was the Pastor for the Hurstville Society. This was a Society that hadn't had a minister in years. They had written to the Bishop asking for a minister. Well I learned about that, and after theological school, he [the bishop] asked me "Well, have you thought where you'd like to go for your pastorate?" And I said "What about Australia?" He said "You're interested in Australia?" Boy, he must have sent a letter, because in no time at all we were linked up, so that's how I got to go to Australia. I really wanted a challenge.

     "Within a very short time, two of the older members of the Society died. In one respect, it was a blessing that I was there, for their families. In another way it was quite a blow to the society, because if you have your pillars die, it really affects you. It kind of shook us, and when they died so close to each other, we thought, well, who is going to die next?"

     Luckily, the community survived and Rev. Don Rose began to teach classes on Bishop de Charm's book "Life of the Lord." He also began advertising to the surrounding community. And then...

     "I had a very interesting thing happen. There was this woman who would go around to all the surrounding churches, and ask questions. The other ministers said "Why do you always ask the hard questions?" So one minister finally said to her "Why don't you go to that church on the hill, and ask them?" So she came and said to me "Maybe you think you have some answers!" So I said "Well, we'll see." And she liked what she heard, and she started to come to every thing, and then all of a sudden, she didn't come to anything at all."

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After asking around, Rev. Don Rose found out she had cancer, but he debated going to visit her because "...she wasn't a member of my congregation, so I thought it was too impolite to go visit her." Eventually he decided to visit her, which turned out to be the most important decision he ever made, because he met her granddaughter Noelene Miller. "So I married her granddaughter, and lived happily ever after, and we had a son, Greg Rose. He was born in Australia." They lived in Australia until 1963.

     "We were going back to the United States, my pastorship was up, but we got a letter from the Bishop, that Michael Church in England was losing their Pastor [Rev. Sandstrom Sr.]. He was going to [Bryn Athyn to] teach in the Theological School. Well, we weren't so sure about going to England, but that was the need. So we took our little family, and we went to England. Part of the job was to visit France, to go to Paris and give services. Well, as it turns out, I spent a year studying at the University of Grenoble! So that was useful, to be able to speak French. Also, part of the job was to go to Holland, but the Dutch are very good at speaking English. I would send in my sermon ahead of time, and English copies were made, so they understood very well."

     After the English Pastorate, they moved to Pittsburgh, where he helped to inaugurate the school bus service from Freeport - Sarver - to Pittsburgh New Church School of which Don was principal. This forged an important link. He then moved to Bryn Athyn, where he has played the role of Assistant Pastor, Editor of New Church Life, and has performed other services for the General Church and the Academy. While serving as Director of General Church Religion Lessons, he decided that a key need was written material from the Writings for teens. He gave this priority and produced a series of lessons later to be produced as a booklet called The Human Face.

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     After doing this interview, I remembered that being useful is very important, and also, that finding a use is not always easy, but it is always rewarding. Hence the above quote. We are all thankful to Reverend Don Rose for the uses he has performed and the lives he has affected all over the world.

     1 This interview, arranged by New Church Life, honors Rev. Donald L. Rose. Write to him: 2806 Huntingdon Pike, Huntingdon Valley, PA 19006, or Box 277, Bryn Athyn, PA 19009.

     2 New Church Life, 1958, p. 280.

     3 Hurstville Society, in Penshurst actually, is up a steep hill, on Dudley Street, as many of you know!

     4 As a member of the Swedenborg Society he also served on the Advisory and Revision Board, devoted to translating and publishing the Writings. He ran and partook in several British Academy Summer Schools. The Wynter Room at Swedenborg Society is where he often held meetings.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     Dawn of a New Christianity But now, because real Christianity is beginning to dawn, and a New Church meant by the New Jerusalem in the Apocalypse, is now being established by the Lord, wherein God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are acknowledged as one, because in one Person, it has pleased the Lord to reveal the spiritual sense of the Word, to enable this church to enter into the real use and benefit of these sacraments, baptism and the holy supper. And this is done when men, with the eyes of the spirit, that is, with the understanding see the holiness that is concealed within them, and apply it to themselves by the means which the Lord has taught in His Word. True Christian Religion 700

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BRIGHT LADY 2009

BRIGHT LADY       LANDON SYNNESTVEDT       2009


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     (Essay written in Religion/The Last Judgment course, Bryn Athyn College, Rev. Dr. Ray Silverman, instructor, May 19, 2009)

     The impact of the Last Judgment and the Second Coming is all around us in the world. There are movements for social and political freedom, advancing technology, growing urgency for ecological stewardship, easy travel, trade and immediate global communication - and these can all be seen in the light of a liberated spiritual world and a new revelation. The New Church has been sheltered and protected over the past 200 years, much like the Woman Clothed with the Sun. In a context of increasing intellectual and religious tolerance there is now avid interest in near-death experiences, angels, healthy marriages, and life after death. Devoted advocates and teachers from many faiths promote, in their own ways, ideas and principles that are familiar to New Church people. One could highlight many examples demonstrating that the time is quickly approaching for the New Church to bring a transformation to the human race. In this essay I focus on a single literary example to show the Second Coming's pervasive effect.

     I spent an inspiring spring term at Bryn Athyn College in Rev. Dr. Ray Silverman's religion course on the Last Judgment. He introduced us to The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis and we read portions of this delightful book aloud in class. It is an allegorical fantasy about the world of spirits and heaven. As a reader familiar with Swedenborg's descriptions of the spiritual world, the story felt so life-like and plausible (without attempting to be factual) that I smiled constantly as I read. The 'divorce' of the title refers to the separation that must occur between what is good and evil. The story makes it clear that nothing evil will be allowed into heaven and, in the end, evil will have no power to infect the good.

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The transition from life on earth requires that those parts of us still attached to hell must be killed off and then be reborn in their contrasting heavenly form. The Great Divorce was new to me, but I was familiar with

     C.S. Lewis' novels for young people. I recently read The Chronicles of Narnia to my children. I was continually moved by Lewis' way of conveying spiritual reality through those stories. The Last Battle (the final novel in the Narnia series) especially struck me with vivid panoramas of life after death. Lewis describes worlds within worlds - much like an onion has layers - where the worlds get bigger and more real as you go deeper (Lewis, 1994, 207). There is controversy about whether, or to what extent, Lewis was influenced by Swedenborg. Although intriguing, I will not join that debate in this essay. I simply wish to draw a few parallels between Lewis' work and what we learn from the Writings for the New Church.

     Until I read The Great Divorce I could never imagine or feel 'the church' - the New Church - as a mother, let alone my mother. Lewis presents the Bright Lady: a highly honored angel who comes from heaven to the Valley of the Shadow of Life and implores a visiting spirit to re-integrate his dissociated parts, to let heaven in and thus grow into heaven's reality. During class discussion with Rev. Silverman I realized that the Bright Lady could be more than simply a woman who "on Earth was Sarah Smith" (Lewis, 2002, 118). The beautiful power of Lewis' Bright Lady can also be a glimpse of the Woman Clothed with the Sun, of the New Christian Church. He describes her effect on those around her: she is not a selfish mother coveting the children of others, "But her motherhood was of a different kind. Those on whom it fell went back to their natural parents loving them more" (Lewis, 2002, 119).

     The New Church is a nurturing, healing power in the world, mirroring the non-competitive, selfless, unconditional love of a true mother. At the same time New Church people must also be Michaels and battle the dragon to end its influence over people in the world.

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This work is well begun and the impact of the Last Judgment and the Second Coming is growing in the world. We can participate by sharing what we love about the New Church in a way that inspires people to see how the teachings could improve their lives.

     The time is right for us to share the New Church with fresh effectiveness. The earth is swallowing up the flood that the dragon spewed after the Woman Clothed with the Sun: people living the fundamental teachings common to all religion; many Christians dedicated to living a Christ-like life, but are not dedicated to a salvation theory that separates faith from charity; a broad movement to promote healthy marriages - and a growing recognition that marriage between one woman and one man is the foundational relationship in society. As Dr. Jane Williams-Hogan, professor at Bryn Athyn College, has observed, the institution of marriage is transforming from a matter of convention and constraint to one of free choice, love, and partnership. A spiritual openness is even visible in some popular songs, books, and movies that depict an immediate resurrection and loved ones reunited after death.

     In a similar way the Second Coming was in the air and affected C.S. Lewis's work. His Bright Lady shows us how to participate in the New Church transformation of the world. Consider that we as New Church people have been timid. Like the servant who buried his talent in the ground we have been guilty of unwarranted reserve. Did we fear losing what we have, or did we fear the shame of failing at our master's commission? Consider how Lewis pictures the Bright Lady, who I imagine as the Woman Clothed with the Sun:

     I cannot now remember whether she was naked or clothed. If she were naked, then it must have been the almost visible penumbra of her courtesy and joy which produces in my memory the illusion of a great and shining train that followed her across the happy grass.

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If she were clothed, then the illusion of nakedness is doubtless due to the clarity with which her innermost spirit shone through her clothes. For clothes in that country are not a disguise: the spiritual body lives along each thread and turns them into living organs. A robe or a crown is there as much one of the wearer's features as a lip or an eye.

     But I have forgotten. And only partly do I remember the unbearable beauty of her face (Lewis, 2002, 118).

     As participants in the Woman Clothed with the Sun, we can be naked and unashamed. We can share deeply with others in a way that lifts them up, just as the Woman was lifted up on eagle's wings. We can be naked and unashamed because we know that all good flows into us from the Lord and that all evil comes from hell (Heaven and Hell 302). Shame and fear - the attachment to shame and fear as if they are part of us - are sins. They separate us from the Lord and what He calls us to do for His people in the world. Let us discard the paralyzing sins of shame and fear, focusing instead on actually performing useful service, and our efforts will be clothed in radiance.

     Imagine what it will be like to join the Lord in bringing the teachings of the New Church to millions of our sisters and brothers around the world. I am thrilled to be a New Church person at this time in history. New Church people have done much dedicated and loving work: studying the teachings of the Second Advent and building institutions devoted to knowing the Lord God Jesus Christ as He is revealed through the Writings of Emanuel Swedenborg. I grew up with an idea that our little Church was enduring a time in the wilderness. I originally believed that this wilderness would last many lifetimes, that we had to wait "a time and times and half a time" until it was safe for us to go out into the world.

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But now it seems that the time has come and we have a mission to share the New Christian teachings with new boldness and love. The Last Judgment and Second Coming have altered the world and many people are hungry to hear the news.


Selected Bibliography

     Lewis, C.S., The Great Divorce: A Dream. London: Harper Collins, 2002.

     Lewis, C.S., The Last Battle. New York: Harper Collins, 1994.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     "A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet," signifies the Lord's New Church in the heavens, which is the New Heaven, and the Lord's New Church about to be upon earth, which is the New Jerusalem. "And upon the head a crown of twelve stars," signifies its wisdom and intelligence from the knowledge of Divine good and Divine truth from the Word. Verse 2. "And being with child, she cried travailing and pained to bring forth," signifies the doctrine of the New Church about to come forth, and its difficult reception on account of the resistance by those who are meant by the dragon. Verse 3. "And another sign was seen in heaven," signifies revelation from the Lord concerning those who are against the New Church and its doctrine (n. 536). Apocalypse Revealed 532

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BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NEW CHURCH 2009

BRIEF HISTORY OF THE NEW CHURCH       RICHARD LINQUIST       2009


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     I wish to write about the history of the New Church and its relationship to the letter B.

     Birthday of the New Church - June 19th, is celebrated as the beginning of the New Church. This is based on True Christian Religion 791, where of the Lord's sending His twelve disciples throughout the whole spiritual world, it is said, "This took place on the nineteenth day of June, 1770."

     Birmingham, England, was the location of the first New Church temple. It was dedicated on June 19th 1791 - a symbolic 3 times 7 years after the advent of the New Church, noted above. (Early advocates of the new revelation were two Anglican clergymen, Thomas Hartley, rector of Winwick in Northamptonshire and John Clowes, rector of St. John's at Manchester.)

     Baltimore, Maryland was the site of the first congregation of New Church people in America. It was organized in 1792 and built the first New Church temple in America in 1799.

     Boston, Massachusetts - "Scots planter James Glen, en route from South America to London in 1781, was given Heaven and Hell by his ship's captain.... He visited the United States, its revolution over, on his way back to South America [1874]... and in Philadelphia and Boston advertised and delivered the first known public lectures on the Doctrines" (Toward A New Church University pp. 11-12, by Sanfrid Odhner). A New Church society was later organized in Boston by Thomas Worcester.

     Brotherly love - In Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, as noted above, was one place where James Glen delivered lectures. "The first New Church temple in Philadelphia, erected at the southeast corner of Twelfth and [now] Sansom Streets, was consecrated on January 1st, 1817....

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This temple was originally built in a square form, modeled after the Nunc Licet Temple described in True Christian Religion 508" (New Church Life, 1932, p. 431). "One day there appeared to me a magnificent temple, square in form, the roof of which was crown-shaped, arched above and raised round about; its walls were continuous windows of crystal; its door was of a pearly substance....Afterward, when I drew nearer, I saw this inscription above the door, Nunc Licet - It is now permitted - which signified that it is now permitted to enter understandingly into the mysteries of faith."

     Bryn Athyn, PA is where the first and only Cathedral of the General Church of the New Jerusalem is located. Above the door of the west entrance is the Nunc Licet inscription from True Christian Religion 508. Also in Bryn Athyn is Pitcairn Hall, the Administration Building for the Academy of the New Church. It was designed after the temple seen by Swedenborg in the Spiritual World. Of Pitcairn Hall Raymond Pitcairn wrote, "My own contributions to his [Romaldo Giurgola of Mitchell and Giurgola] basic plan include the introduction of curved refinements, the symbolism of the main entrance, the balance of the two wings of the southerly fa?ade, and the proportional height of the crown superstructure as related to the building viewed from within and from without" (New Church Life, 1966, p. 269).

     I look forward to seeing more buildings constructed for the uses of the New Church, which are based on ideas drawn from the Word.

Editor's Note: Do you know of other New Church buildings constructed from ideas drawn from the Word? Write an item for submission.

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ANCIENT CUSTOM: DISCUSSING DOCTRINE 2009

ANCIENT CUSTOM: DISCUSSING DOCTRINE       Editor       2009


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     In the New Church we idealize many things: marriage, family, performing useful services as part of our jobs, worship, and instruction. One ideal which has not seen the light of day for several thousand years is the egalitarian rule of everyone teaching everyone else. It only works if two conditions are met: 1. charity is present and always assumed in others, and 2: the Heavenly Doctrines are equally accessible to all, and remain the primary source of all our ideas. That is how it was in the First Ancient Church:

The teaching about charity, that is, how to live, was the chief teaching in the ancient churches. That teaching united all churches and so made one out of many. For they recognized as members of the church all those whose lives showed the good of charity and called them brothers, however much otherwise they differed in truths, what are to-day called matters of faith. One taught another about truths, and this was one of their charitable deeds. Also they did not take it amiss, if one failed to accept another's point of view, knowing that each person accepts truth only to the extent that he is in a state of good. Since the ancient churches were of this kind their members were therefore 'interior' people; and for this reason they were wiser. Heavenly Doctrine 9.

     "One taught another about truths." Everyone was a teacher to all the rest. They shared their ideas with each other. Not that this did away with the Priesthood: there were priests back then too, and only ordained Priests are allowed to provide official instruction in the Word. The degrees of the neighbor were well known in the Ancient Church, which existed in great variety while yet charity remained the central doctrine.

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Thus they too knew that "Good can be inculcated in another by any citizen, but truth only by those who are ministers that teach it. If others teach it, heresies arise, and the Church becomes confused and is torn apart" (Arcana Coelestia 6822). "Lest heresies arise." If anyone but a priest were to provide official instruction, it would be bedlam.

     However, "inculcating good" i.e. sharing your view-point is not the same thing as official instruction. Discussing doctrine is never a bad idea, especially when there is so much Truth or Doctrine available. You can read the Writings as well as receive instruction, and become conversant with the doctrines, and pass your understanding to others in your own words. When using your own words to explain truth, there is a special influx from the spiritual world: When we are using "everyday language, or common speech... light is shed upon it, [applying to many] expressions used by a person which spring from a perception of such things as exist in the next life where he is as to his spirit" (Arcana Coelestia 3693). We get this sense of understanding a truth from the spiritual world, and the influx then picks our words for us! We know the sensation, when we don't think about what we are going to say, but our idea just pours out spontaneously into words: "It is very much as when a person is speaking, yet gives no thought to the words that he is using but is intent solely on the meaning which they express. His thought falls, in accordance with the meaning, immediately and spontaneously into words. It is the meaning within which produces the words that are used...It is through this inward meaning that man, though he is not aware of it, communicates with spirits" (Arcana Coelestia 1638).

     In other words, when we try to put our belief in the Doctrines into our own words, the spontaneous flow of words comes from spirits with us who are in those ideas of truth themselves.

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So here's another use for discussing doctrine, for putting our doctrinal views into our own words. Of course it helps that the ideas are true already, and are actually taught in the "original version" of the Writings. The way we express them in our own words just has our own spirit in the expression. Such would have been the phenomenon, when Charity reigned thousands of years ago, and people just spoke and taught each other. They knew that everyone could only accept as much truth as they were in genuine charity to begin with. Thus no one took it amiss if they disagreed "or failed to accept another's point of view, knowing that each person accepts truth only to the extent that he is in a state of good." They could just learn more from each other, and have a beer afterwards, - or perhaps it was mead. Anyhow, they were "interior people". The New Church by definition has now received "still more interior truths" than those given by the Lord at His Advent (Apocalypse Explained 948:3). Today we therefore qualify for perpetuating the same ancient tradition of sharing our view-point.

     This kind of egalitarian instruction requires charity to be at the center. We do the same when we have a friendly discussion at gatherings of all kinds, over coffee, after dinner, etc. It has also been the principle behind those New Church discussion groups where laypeople have their say, but a minister is present. He is consulted now and then, or "has the last word." This is the proviso in Arcana Coelestia 6822, "lest heresies arise." For a heresy is "one truth" taken at the expense of all other truths, i.e. with some stubborn insistence (Arcana Coelestia 362). A heresy begins life as a truth. Every person's view may have loads of such truths, but these are not heresies, but truths looking to greater understanding. They are true now, but a greater view of them is pending. Only by insisting on one truth against all others does such a limited view become heretical.

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     The same improvement of the view of truth applies also to ministers who do know essentially all that the Writings teach: such is their training, just to prevent heresies. For one charge for ministers is to "uproot falsities" with themselves, and "so with the laity" (True Christian Religion 784). You need training to know all the Doctrines to qualify as a "teaching minister" (Arcana Coelestia 6822) who then has automatic charge of all "holy or sacred functions, Divine laws, and worship" (Heavenly Doctrine 317-319).

     How do we know charity rules? We call it "good faith" today. Criminals, we are told, constitute only a single digit percentage of society. Most people you run into are well intentioned, or friendly. Even counting people in a personal snit, they would still be civil on the bus or train. We know of exceptions, may even have been the exception at times. But charity is at work most of the time, everywhere, even if only on the civic level. We assume "the best" of all people we know and meet in public. However, it is probably not, or not yet, the same level or degree charity as in ancient times, but a civilian level reminder of it.

     So is today the same as the First Ancient Church, after the Flood but before the Tower of Babel changed the "charity first" rule? It might be. We speak of "neighbor" more comfortably than "brethren." We don't tend to call our next door neighbor "brother." Many people of course do use the term brother. If genuine, it bespeaks a charity-first law. That does not mean, however, that the truths of faith do not matter. So even when people call each other "brothers," intelligence is not far behind. We can thus recall the best examples of friendly debate in our own lives, where smiles still cover all disagreements, and no "heresy" was a heresy, because each person wanted to know more. And if a minister is not present, one is called upon for the answer, if not found directly in the Writings themselves.

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     Everyone may discuss what they know with all others. The proviso however, is that all present have an equal say. After one person has spoken his view, then that person has to stop and listen, until everyone else has had a turn. It is just like discussing doctrine today. No one may prevail over or persuade another. One person may end up correcting or informing a previous speaker.

     Such discussions have always taken place, since the Source of truth has always been the Word of God. How that Word has been presented to humanity has varied as to form, but never as to content. At first God spoke His Word directly, face to face, then it was by means of angels, perception, dreams; then when the decline set in, it was next committed to rudimentary writing, which served as the Word after the Flood. This was the Word of Enoch which established the First Ancient Church we are discussing. During this Church, came the Ancient Word, and when the Second Ancient church turned to idolatry and sacrifices, this Ancient Word was scattered and lost. Then among the Third Ancient Church or Israel, a "new Word" was restored by dictation by angelic spirits, namely the Old Testament." Its writing commences with the Ten Commandments written by God's own finger. This was read on earth when the Lord came as the Word made flesh, and started teaching "You have heard it said... but I say unto you..." commencing the oral tradition of the New Testament from the Lord's own mouth. Only after His resurrection did the "spirit of His mouth" (Sacred Scripture 2) assemble the Four Gospels and Book of Revelation, to form the New Testament. This added to but also replaced the Old. Both are called Sacred Scripture in the Writings, containing a spiritual or internal sense. But Sacred Scripture also contains the "doctrine of genuine truth" appearing here and there as "hand and face" passages, on the surface of many texts. One example is the Two Great Commandments:

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"On these two hang all the law and the prophets" making Love to God and Love to the neighbor to be plainly stated truths. But mostly there is an internal sense, and the truth in this sense has always remained the same, no matter in how many different literal contexts it has been hidden. And it is a fact that apart from a Revelation by God, there could never arise any slightest notion of an afterlife, heaven or hell, of a God let alone His nature, or any information about ideals of life, etc. (Sacred Scripture 115, 116). The Writings even mock those who believe we can know spiritual things by "natural theology": "If man of himself could have known that there is a God and a life after death, why then has he not discovered that a man is a man after death?" (Op. Cit. 116)

     So there has always been truth to discuss among each other. Nor would there even be any curiosity about these things with humans, unless the same Source that provides the Word for people, also implants remains - traces of heavenly loves for truth and helpfulness, in each person's inner mind. We may refer to remains as "gifts from God's mercy" because no one has earned them (cf. Arcana Coelestia 19, 1906). These prompt all people to recognize truth to be true when she or he hears it, and the feeling of "yes" when doing or experiencing something right and fair. These remains also allow everyone to say "yes" when reading or hearing the Word of God. It is the same truth, stuck in our rational mind prompting us to say "yes" when it is written down for us by means of a revelator. The two hands of the Lord our God thus meet in us. His Providence through remains (invisible right hand) meets His Holy Spirit and its written text of revealed Divine Truth (visible left hand), inside our heads. We have to volunteer for this honorable process, by reading and hearing truth.

     We gain the knowledge of the Word through the love of parents and instructors who provide the occasion for angels from the Lord to as it were 'staple' those remains of good and truth to the rational level of our minds.

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These remains form the kernel around which our conscience is built by individual experience. The rational constitutes the border or limbus between the soul and physically bound mind. So once we have the truth, and it has become part of our conscience, we may carry our own inbuilt reservoir of what is right and fair, proper and orderly, right into doing our work, and sharing our views of truth with others. Everyone then hears it individually. Then the teaching holds true: "a truth, from whatever mouth it may be spoken, enters into another's hearing and is received by the mind according to the state and quality of the mind" (Divine Providence 14:2).

     When charity rules, people called each other "brethren" and the Lord calls us "friends." We however do not call the Lord "friend", but only what He Himself told us to call Him, namely "You call Me Master, and Lord, and you say well, for I AM" (John 13:13). We all belong to the same family: the Lord is our Heavenly Father, and the New Church is then our Mother. Although only priests may preach the Word, all may share it.
New Church Life Response 2009

New Church Life Response       Editor       2009


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     An article in the July 2009 New Church Life, The Love of One's Country, advocated responsible citizenship by becoming well-informed about the founding principles of one's country and studying both sides of political issues and candidates. However, the article clearly took one side as "friendlier to religion and patriotism."

     Love of country and citizenship are appropriate topics for New Church Life. Advocating one political philosophy or party over another is not. I regret that this happened, and I apologize.

     The Editor

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Response to "Hope" by Wyston Simons ( 2009

Response to "Hope" by Wyston Simons (       BOB HEINRICHS       2009


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New Church Life, June 2009, 257-9)     I would like to respond to the excellent message by Wystan Simons on "Hope" that appeared in the June issue. Wystan, in my opinion, has primarily framed the issue as a struggle "between those who love outreach and those who love "in?reach." But there is more, in my opinion, to consider both from the standpoint of principle and practicality.

     The principle to which I am referring is that of structure or, if you will, the order and organization of the General Church, which in itself is somewhat problematic. The practical lies in how the Church is actually governed and managed.

     History tells us the General Church grew out of the "Academy Movement," which split from the General Convention of the New Jerusalem. The Academy Movement essentially made its departure on two fundamental principles of faith and doctrine. The first being that the theological Writings given by the Lord through Emanuel Swedenborg are in fact the Second Coming of the Lord God Jesus Christ to this world. The second was focused on the very strong belief that New Church education was essential to the continued mission for the growth of the New Church on earth, which came to be known as "internal evangelization." The formation of the General Church and its continued existence has been true to both of these principles from its inception. And we know that, over these many years, the General Church has not focused on external evangelization with either people, programs or money until recently. Like many organizations we grew to a certain size and became virtually stagnant with the exception of the more recent growth in the African continent, Eastern Europe and some Asian countries while the North American and Eastern European memberships continues to hold or decline.

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     Another piece of the puzzle that should be examined has to do with ownership. History documents that for various reasons the General Church has operated in a paternalistic manner with regard to management and money. For many years a few wealthy families and the executive Bishop pretty much made the decisions and controlled how the money flowed. This has been both a blessing and a challenge. The blessing being that the individuals who gave so generously of their money and time did so with the utmost love and attention to the feelings of others and did so to the best of their abilities with the good of the Church at the core. The challenge is that unfortunately a culture of dependency was created from within the Church's membership. Historically and up to the present day the dollars the General Church receives from its membership do not come close to the dollars that are needed to operate it. In other words, without the wealthy donors and the large endowment we are blessed with, the General Church would not be able to function at the level it does, let alone grow. The culture of giving has to change. It is neither right nor just to rely on others to do what each of us should be doing. If we continue to employ the new giving strategy that the Development Office is fostering and encouraging it will probably take a couple of generations to develop a healthy culture of giving within our membership.

     Lest anyone fear that I'm suggesting the need to depart from priestly leadership to a congregational form of church government let me emphatically say that I am not. The Episcopal/ecclesiastical model that the church has employed, in my opinion, has not adequately adapted to the changing times. By this I mean the structure has not been studied or employed with the efficiencies that modern technology makes possible. I would suggest the reason for this is that in the past the priests of our church were not specifically educated for the "techno" world in which we live.

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Of course, here I am referring to the development of the internet and all of the tools that are available to assist with growth and communication. Having said this, I'm aware the Theological School is now addressing this issue. The fact of the matter is, if the General church is to grow and fulfill its mission, it will take priests and laymen hand-in-hand to accomplish this. To me this means that a highly educated and energized priesthood working together with a carefully elected and highly motivated board of directors should bring their collective and individual talents to the table with the purpose of promoting the vision, mission and programs that are now in front of the New Church.

     I believe there are probably few people today who cannot fully endorse the Core Purpose and Core Values that the General Church has adopted and now operates from. the Core Purpose being "To help people throughout the world grow closer to the Lord God Jesus Christ in His Second Coming." One of the ways of trying to achieve the Core Purpose is to have meaningful contact with more than a million people. This may be viewed by some as a dream that cannot be realized. That's the point of this goal. We as a Church need to make it a real stretch if we want to "hit it out of the park." It will never happen if we don't try. The strategies that are founded on the vision and mission statements are based on the development of people and programs and these should lead the way to the fulfillment of the former. By that I mean if the vision, mission and strategies are believed and supported by each one of us using our talent energy money and belief, then I believe the Lord will bless His church. Then we the laborers in the vineyard will be rewarded for our diligence, faithfulness and work. The Lord's New Church on earth will become an even greater reality and so the heavens will rejoice.

     I think we all agree that change is more difficult for some individuals than others.

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We know it can be unsettling which includes the fear that the Lord's truth will be watered down. This is a good fear. It is understandable, but I believe the changes being fostered are good changes, addressing the times in which we live. We need to stop hiding the Lord's shining light under a bushel. The goal is a better world with more opportunity for people throughout the world to learn the truth so that they have the opportunity to live it; to become spiritually free and so become angels in heaven when their short sojourn in this world is over.

     Our rallying cry should be, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all the rest will be added unto you." The requirement is to know the truth and then live a life of charity. To accomplish this, in my opinion, each one of us should take the time to read The Word daily ,we should pray to the Lord daily, we should attend Church services as often as possible, we should make every effort to live a life in accordance with the Decalogue and finally We Should Fully Trust in "Divine Providence."

     BOB HEINRICHS
     Chair, General Church Development Committee

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ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BISHOP KLINE 2009

ANNOUNCEMENT FROM BISHOP KLINE       Rev. Thomas L. Kline       2009


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     I am pleased to announce that I have appointed David Frazier as the Executive Director for the General Church, effective July 1st, 2009.

     This role of Executive Director is a new executive position for the church. Let me explain: David Frazier has served as the Chief Administrative Officer/Treasurer for the General Church for the past two years. I have found that the role of a Chief Administrative Officer for the church has allowed me to delegate many of the lay-administrative duties that are part of my job as Executive Bishop. In order to more fully perform my duties as Executive Bishop and to give greater spiritual leadership to the church I have found that that I need to delegate even more of what I would term lay-administrative duties. And so, working with a committee of the General Church Board, we have developed the new role of Executive Director.

     In addition to Dave's uses as CAO we have outlined the following job description:

     1. Role of the Executive Director

     a. In general, to provide for the orderly support, leadership and supervision of General Church business operations worldwide.

     2.Specifically, to

     a. Provide a healthy working relationship, in harmony with the core purposes, between congregations and the central offices.

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     b. Ensure that there is a clear organizational structure and that responsibilities for decisions are understood and maintained.

     c. Ensure development of, and oversee implementation of, the strategic initiatives.

     d. Ensure process controls and establish measurements for efficient use of resources.

      e. Oversee the process of director level staff appointments, re-appointments and separations.
     
      f. Provide support, supervision, evaluation, and professional development for employees.

     g. Work with the Development Office to promote strong relations with individual donors, foundations and other funding resources.

     h. Provide for ad hoc support for activities such as assemblies, camps, retreats, etc.

     David will retain many of the responsibilities of his former position of General Church Treasurer as we work to restructure the Treasurer's Office in the light of this new position.

     Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline July 8th, 2009

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CHURCH NEWS FROM KENYA 2009

CHURCH NEWS FROM KENYA       Rev. ERIK J. BUSS       2009


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     We know that the Lord is governing the universe with great care, but we don't normally see His guidance. Instead we see the efforts we and others make, and we believe that the Lord was the one who really made good things happen. On a recent trip to Kenya I was able to see the Lord's guidance more clearly than usual when I had the opportunity to baptize 109 people into the New Church. The pastors in Kenya, Samson Abuga and Khalid Obiri, had worked very hard to share the message of the Second Coming with these people, but when faced with so many people wanting to commit to the truth, it was much easier to see the Lord's hand at work.

     One of my greatest joys of talking to these people in Kenya was their openness to the truth. I come from a Western culture in which people take pride in their intellectual prowess and need to be convinced slowly of the truth of something. Many of these people were able to hear the truth once and immediately acknowledge it. And when they acknowledged it they responded with joy. While there I gave quite a few talks on marriage, focusing particularly on the equality of the sexes, with each sex offering something unique to the world. This is not what traditional Kenyan culture teaches at all, yet many responded to the ideas enthusiastically. In fact, a minister from another church went away with a copy of Married Love because he was so intrigued by the Lord's teachings. The New Church in Kenya has a hopeful future. This was the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.

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CHURCH NEWS FROM KENYA "SMILES FROM MILES" 2009

CHURCH NEWS FROM KENYA "SMILES FROM MILES"       ISAAC SYNNESTVEDT       2009


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     Joseph and Angelina are senior members of the church started by Rev. Khalid. When Duncan Smith offered to fund a church building, they freely offered and were chosen to give land for the space. They have eight children, one of which is in Rev. Khalid's school. Currently the church has weekly services with twenty to forty attending, and during the week they have a full time nursery class of over 50 kids. The members are very young in the doctrines, and I believe will be warriors for the Lord. More than anything else they desire visitors to stay in their homes and teach them. They send so many greetings to Kendra, Jason, Duncan, Erik Buss, and all our families in America. When Erik Buss visited in March, he baptized eleven individuals.

     The name of the town center nearest the church, where our member Isaac Choti is assistant principal to a primary school of 429 students taught New Church ideas, is called Enkos.

     Rev. Khalid is the pastor overseeing the Masaai society. Nicks Marisa is a candidate [recently trained in Bryn Athyn] discovering his use and place here in Kenya. We are all very much looking forward to the coming of Nicole Pitcairn and Becky Walker sometime in the fall, and we are welcoming many more.

     There are two Churches in Kenya: Riounde where the Rev. Khalid is Pastor. It is three miles from the outskirts of the town of Ogambo, part of Kisii environs, a seven hours drive from Niarobi. And at Etora the Rev. Samson is Pastor, three miles on other side of Ogambo on a main road to the town of Kisii.

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     [Photograph of Issac Synnestvedt with Joseph and Angelina.]

     Joseph and Angelina support the New Church in Kenya, here with Isaac Synnestvedt.

[Photograph of child being baptized.]     

     Child baptized by Rev. Erik J. Buss

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LIVING COURAGEOUSLY 2009

LIVING COURAGEOUSLY              2009


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     The 4th annual New Church Journey Program, Living Courageously, kicks off on Sunday October 4th 2009 and again on Sunday February 7th 2010.

     Participating congregations and groups represent 3 countries on 2 continents and members of the General Church, the Lord's New Church and The Swedenborgian Church (the Convention). So far the list includes:

NC Buccleuch, South Africa           Ivyland NC, PA
Glenview NC, IL                     San Diego NC, CA
Washington NC, Mitchellville, MD      Bryn Athyn Church, PA
NC of Boulder Valley, CO           Olivet NC Toronto, ON
Sunrise Chapel of the NC, Tuscon, AZ Pittsburgh NC, PA
Light of Life NC, Seattle, WA      Lord's New Church, PA
NC of Boynton Beach, FL           NC of Concord, MA
Sower's Chapel of the NC, Sarver, PA And more...

     Let us know if you plan to run this program so we can share the excitement.

     Content: The workbook for this seven-week program features biblical insights written by the Rt. Rev. Peter M. Buss Sr. with tasks and activities by Star Silverman. It is based on the story of Elijah as found in I Kings16-22 and II Kings 2.

     Format: Journey Campaigns are carefully constructed to provide life-oriented spiritual themes that are helpful to both newcomers and long-term church members alike. The programs use regular, daily readings of the Word, small group meetings, prayer and discussion coordinated with the Sunday sermons, to get everyone talking about how these themes work in their own lives.

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Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue       Editor       2009


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     Announcements






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     We welcome back Bishop Brian Keith with a powerful sermon on loving the Lord. Bishop Keith helps us to identify what love is, and then how to recognize love to the Lord.

     The Rev. Ragnar Boyesen was honored to speak at a large exhibition in Copenhagen last February, considering some of the things said by Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and linking this to other well?known names, and to the Writings. Did Dr. King refer to Swedenborg?

     The Rev. Norman Riley gives us a simple exercise in determining our Source for truth.

     Church News from Ghana is a Bishop's Report of West Africa, including the dedication of the new Ebenezer Temple in Tema and a picture of this encouraging event. What joy it must be for our New Church friends there.

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LOVING THE LORD 2009

LOVING THE LORD       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       2009


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"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me." John 14:21

     One of the dominant features in heaven is the Lord's presence in His spiritual sun. The Lord appears in the heavens as a sun, because all the warmth of love and light of wisdom come from Him alone. And this sun is seen by everyone there in front of their eyes, at a middle altitude. The underlying reason for this is that the Lord leads all the angels, and the angels are constantly looking to Him. The Lord is the first thing of their lives, for they love Him above all else.

     This is an interesting teaching, but it is perhaps hard for us to see the significance of this in our lives. After all, we're here, not in the spiritual world! But perhaps it is also because we are not as cognizant of the Lord in our lives as the angels. Yes, we do think of the Lord - in worship services and in prayers. But how often is the Lord truly before our faces? In our lives? In our loves?

     We, like the angels, should always be looking to the Lord. And the answer for how to do this is supplied by Scripture: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might" (Deut. 6:5). This ideal is stated in the Heavenly Doctrines of the New Church this way: a person "would rather die or be deprived of honors and wealth in the world than be drawn away by them from the Lord and from heaven" (Apocalypse Explained 419:7). Having the Lord at the center of our lives, so much so that we would not give up an iota of it for fame or money! This is loving the Lord - having Him as our essential focus and attention (Arcana Coelestia 8857).

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     Yet, how many of us feel that we put the Lord first in our lives? And, even when we realize the importance of this, how do we go about it? What is love to the Lord?

     For contrast, we can easily see what love to the Lord should not be. It should not be confused with worldly or merely natural loves. So often we speak of "love" in terms of our possessions, our successes, or what gives us pleasure. We refer to "loving" a great meal, comfortable clothing, or some exotic vacation. We may even fall into thinking that the word "love" can be used of those who do things for us - "I just love it when people listen to me." The danger with such thought is that it is fundamentally self?centered. We are in effect saying that we will love things and people if they will give us pleasure. Such so called "love" is merely natural, cannot last, and will never satisfy our souls.

     Love for the Lord is also not created from abject terror - thinking we should love the Lord because otherwise He will cause us grief or punish us with hell. At times in the Old Testament it has this appearance - with the distant and apparently severe presence of Jehovah. And in the early stages of spiritual life someone may think that. But love stemming solely from that sense of fear, which never grows beyond it, is not genuine.

     Yes, love to the Lord should not be identified with just a "feeling" of love (Spiritual Experiences 5152). It is not a gushy, over?emotional sentiment that sweeps away any rational thought and reflection. It is not like the first romantic sensation experienced by young people, which they mistakenly think is a love for marriage. Such infatuation is usually directed at the external person. To be affected by another's external appearance, or their external personality, may be an initial attraction, but it is not to know the other person, their character or their interior loves. And, concerning the Lord, we are cautioned against loving His person (Heaven and Hell 15; Apocalypse Explained 433:2, 1099:3; Divine Wisdom XI:3).

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What this seems to mean is that we are not to love the Lord simply because we have read about His miracles, or His personality as it is recorded in the New Testament. We are not to love the man as the disciples saw Him, for they saw as much of His merely human as they did His Divine Human. If we focus exclusively upon that person who walked the earth several thousand years ago, we will tend to have a sensual, natural, love.

     This is not to say that we should ignore the image the Lord provided in Jesus Christ. It is important for us to have a visual image of the Lord. This enables our thoughts and affections to be focused and anchored. But this is only to enable our interior love for Him to be displayed in some tangible form.

     So, if those ways are not genuine love for the Lord, what is? To love the Lord is to love those things which come from Him (Heaven and Hell 15). It is to love His justice, His providence, His mercy, His love and His wisdom (see Apocalypse Explained 973:2). It is to love all those things that flow forth from Him in creation which make a heaven from the human race. In one sense, there is nothing else to love about Him, for as He is in Himself, we cannot know Him or be one with Him. But when we see the glorious brilliance of His truths, when we look back and see the good that He has done, then we know what we should love of Him.

     This can be seen in any healthy relationship. The things we like in another person are the good qualities which we can sense. Those traits which we enjoy and perceive as useful are what draw us to another, and link us together in the bond of friendship.

     There is also an analogy of our love to the Lord with conjugial love, our love for our spouse. Have you ever tried to answer the question of why you love your married partner? Have you ever tried to pin it down, to say exactly what it is about that person that causes you to love him or her, to seek to be a one with them?

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Words fail us, for we are not joined primarily to their external appearance, personality, or sense of humor. Yes, these can be pleasing to us, but what we truly love in that person is what they themselves are; we love the good that we see and feel in them which is then exhibited in a thousand ways. This is what we wish to be close to.

     Because we love what is internal, the externals of this world do not matter so much to us. It is from this that we are able to excuse their faults, those things which might irritate us, and they in turn are able to live with all our failings! So love between married partners does not lessen with age when youthful appearance passes. Rather it can increase, for that which they love in each other is growing - a regenerating life from the Lord. To love the good of someone else is what we are to love in the Lord, for He is good itself.

     Yet love does not exist in a vacuum. If we love another, we are not content merely to sit by and observe them. We desire to be with them, to join them in what they are doing. This is wonderfully expressed in the Writings where we are taught "nothing is more pleasing to one who loves any one, and who believes any one, than to will and do what the other wills and thinks, for it is his sole desire to know his will and thought, thus his good pleasure" (Arcana Coelestia 10143:5).

     What better description of genuine love and friendship could there be?

     Where there is love we desire to be conjoined with the other, and so are willing to do many things that otherwise we would not find interesting. Can you imagine a couple tolerating external differences or dis?similitudes for any reason other than an interior love of the other? A friendship does not dissolve at the first sign of disagreement, for something more interiorly binds the two together. Only an external, selfish, relationship is broken when the other person is temporarily unable to give us pleasure (see Faith 21).

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     To love the good of another implies that we wish to assist it, to join with it in the performance of some use. This is true in marriage, in friendship, and in our love for the Lord.

     It is easy to say that we love the Lord, for in itself it involves no effort. This why simply "feeling love" for the Lord is not enough. Those who truly love the Lord, seek to join with Him through knowledge of what He wishes. Where there is genuine love there is the desire to learn every possible thing about the other person. So it is with the Lord, where there is love to Him there is the desire to learn His truths, both those which tell us directly about Him, the doctrine of the Lord, and those which tell us how to improve our lives. As these are learned we can then think as He does; we can form our minds to will deeply what He wills. When we appreciate why hatred is wrong, we will attempt to purge our minds of such thoughts towards our neighbors. As we understand how coveting is wrong, we will try to stop desiring the things of others. And then the process comes into its fullness when we are actually doing what He commands from delight (see Arcana Coelestia 10645:4).

     Yet simply organizing our minds to think as the Lord thinks is not enough. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me" (John 14:21). This means that as we go about our daily lives, as we work in our jobs, take care of our homes, and care for others, that life of use is how we express love the Lord. To look for the good in others and to love it is to love the Lord. To obey one of His commandments from conscience, that is, from a love of doing what He would like us to do, is to love the Lord. The reason this is truly loving is that "the Lord loves a person, and from love wills that he may be happy forever, and a person cannot become happy except by a life according to His commandments, because by means of these a person is regenerated and becomes spiritual, and in this way can be raised into heaven" (Arcana Coelestia 10578:3).

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     Imagine that! We love Him when we receive heaven in our hearts. So going to heaven, or having heaven grow within us here on earth, is how we love the Lord. How can we lose? When we gain the greatest eternal joy for ourselves, we are receiving love from Him and returning it to Him.

     Yes, to the extent we hold on to selfishness or a focus on worldly things we do not embrace love for Him. In so far as selfish loves are present, we cannot have true friendship, conjugial love, or love to the Lord. In friendship, in so far as we think of what the other person can do for us, to that extent we are not genuine friends. In marriage, in so far as we think that the other person ought to center their lives on us, conjugial love will be unable to descend into the relationship. In love to the Lord, in so far as we want the Lord to save us without us lifting our hands, or want Him to love our evils so we can avoid change, to that extent we reject His love. So for us to know a lasting, heavenly, love, we are to remove what would prevent the Lord from being close to us.

     As we strive to think as the Lord does, as we work to obey His commandments, as we put aside our selfishness, a genuine love for the Lord can grow within. We will appreciate ever more deeply who He is, and what He is constantly doing in our lives, and the lives of others. This love will then infill and inspire our lives. It will lead us to become more useful in whatever employments we have. It will help us to become more caring in how we think of others and how we speak to them. It will transform our lives because we have given them to the Lord - a Spiritual Sun shining before us, leading us. And it will shower forth blessings upon us - not because we have sought them, but because we have shifted our thinking and acting from self to the Lord and His good. "Blessed are they that do His commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city" (Rev. 22:14). Amen.

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Lessons: Deuteronomy 7:1?11; John 14 15?31; Arcana Coelestia 10578:3Arcana Coelestia 10578:3

     Anyone who supposes that he can love the Lord without leading a life in keeping with His commandments is very much mistaken; for leading a life in keeping with them is what constitutes loving the Lord. Those commandments are truths received from the Lord, and so are such as have the Lord within them. To the extent therefore that those commandments are loved, that is, to the extent that a person is inspired by love to lead a life in keeping with them, the Lord is loved. The reason why this should be so is that the Lord loves the person and in His love desires him to be eternally blessed; and no one can become blessed except through a life led in keeping with His commandments. For by means of these the person is being regenerated and made spiritual, and can then be raised to heaven. But loving the Lord without leading a life in keeping with His commandments does not constitute loving Him, for then the person has nothing within him into which the Lord can flow and raise him to Himself. He is like an empty vessel, in that there is no life at all in his faith, nor any life at all in his love. The life of heaven, called eternal life, is not poured into anyone directly but through some agency. From all this it may be recognized what loving the Lord is, and also what seeing the Lord or His face is, namely, seeing Him with that kind of faith and love.

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     The Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith was inaugurated into the priesthood in 1976, and ordained as Pastor in 1978. Brian began as Assistant to the Pastor in Glenview in 1976, moving up to Assistant Pastor and serving as Principal of the Midwest Academy in 1979. He became Pastor in Glenview and President of the Midwest Academy in 1983. In 1992 he became Dean of the Academy of the New Church Theological School, and in 2002 took over as Principal of Bryn Athyn Church Elementary School. He was ordained as Bishop in 2004 and began his work as Assistant Bishop of the General Church in 2005, taking also the work of Regional Pastor over much of the travel in the USA, and serving as Chairman of the G.C. Translation Committee. Brian lives with his wife Gretchen (Umberger) in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.

[Photograph of Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith.]
Zeal and Temptations 2009

Zeal and Temptations              2009


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      [N]o one is let into spiritual temptation, unless he is in the spiritual affection that is called charity; for unless he is in that, there is no combat with falsities and evils, because no zeal for truths and goods...By temptation not only are evils mastered and falsities removed, but also in their place truths are implanted....Therefore by being zealous and repenting, is signified that they may have charity. Apocalypse Explained 247

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I HAVE A DREAM MARTIN LUTHER KING'S AFFIRMATION OF AN UNKNOWN INFLUENCE.1 2009

I HAVE A DREAM MARTIN LUTHER KING'S AFFIRMATION OF AN UNKNOWN INFLUENCE.1       Rev. RAGNAR BOYESEN       2009


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      (A talk at the Annual Health Exhibition in Copenhagen, February 2009)

     Introduction

     The famous expression, I Have A Dream has flown across the globe. These inspired words became synonymous with a longing for freedom and dignity throughout the world. Here in Scandinavia Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. became known when he got the Nobel peace prize in 1964. Dr. King's civil rights efforts led to the 1963 March on Washington. This effort was a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the abolition of slavery. In honor of the day, Dr. King delivered his famous "I Have a Dream" speech. At the Lincoln Memorial he addressed 250,000 blacks and some whites in a passionate plea for justice and freedom for the black community. He raised public consciousness of the civil rights movement and established himself as one of the greatest orators in U.S. history. His philosophy of non?violence had proven particularly effective as a means against a system of segregation in the south of the United States. The extensive media coverage documented the struggle for equality and the rights to vote for blacks. Daily reporting on the deprivations and cruel indignities suffered by blacks in the south as shown on television soon had its effects. When the daily media also showed the segregationist violence and harassment of civil rights workers and marchers, the nation became aware of the Civil Rights Movement. This movement became the forefront of public opinion. By its sympathetic response the cause of blacks in America was now seen as the most important issue in American politics in the early sixties.

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"I Have a Dream" stood for brotherhood and the will to meet physical violence with "soul?power." According to the U.S. Representative John Lewis, who also spoke that same day as the President of the Student Non?Violent Coordinating Committee, Dr. King... "...educated, inspired, and informed not just the people there, but people throughout America and unborn generations."

     As late as a few months ago America's 44th president, Barak H. Obama referred to the orator Dr. King as affirming a dream of a better life in America for all. Both of these black men whose forefathers were slaves, have in each their own way fought for their beliefs. Dr. King, as we all know, gave his life for his belief in the principle of non?violence as he served the human rights movement which he led.

An Unknown Influence.

     What, then, is it that influenced this Christian Baptist Pastor, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.? We know that his own father Martin Luther King Sr., also a Baptist minister, was important to him, as were Benjamin Mays and Hosea Williams for their ardent civil rights involvement. Where else did Dr. King find his convictions of why we live here? What might be the meaning behind our efforts and struggle? Could there be anything in addition to the poetic and spiritual messages of the Bible as understood by his denomination which inspired and fed his dreams to give them increased significance? Much has been written about Dr. King's background, beliefs and courageous leadership. There is one aspect which I believe has not been noted before which needs to be added to the list of influences.

     A short statement made by Dr. King less than five years before his famous "I Have a Dream" speech and years later than his doctorate at Boston University gives us a clue. He writes in his own hand on the inside leaf of his own copy of Emerson: A Modern Anthology, edited by Alfred Kazin and Daniel Aaron (New York, 1958) "a profound statement regarding what happens to us when we die."

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As we know, Ralph Waldo Emerson was also known for his interest in Emanuel Swedenborg who historically has had a liberating influence as a spiritual voice for freedom in the civil rights movement. Emerson selected him as one of his "Representative Men," an early mark of Swedenborg's international fame. It is probably to the famous book Heaven and Hell that Dr. King refers when he, true to his habit, writes on a blank page of his own copy of Emerson's book. I quote:

"Swedenborg enables us to understand why we are created, why we are alive and what happens to us after our bodies die. Swedenborg enables us to have the best possible understanding of God's message as this exists in those Bible Books which constitute God's Word." Signed in his own hand: M.L.K.

     These are weighty words from a man of letters and spiritual leadership, a man who appears to have found an important confirmation of life in the writings of this eighteenth century revelator. So important was the literary remains of Dr. Martin L. King Jr. that Morehead College in Atlanta, his Alma Mater bought his entire library for 32 million dollars in 2007. His library was for sale through Sotheby's auctions in New York. Here Mr. Edward D. Bosely during an introductory presentation discovered this unique inscription on an empty page of the named book chosen to represent parts of the collection as it was displayed in a glass case. Mr. Bosely fortunately made use of the notebook he had on him. Seeing the Promised Land.

     Here we will refer to the last inspired talk this great Baptist pastor and activist for human liberation voiced the day before he was murdered in Memphis, Tennessee on April 4th 1968. Dr. King was in Memphis to organize a meeting and to give a talk.

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     He was known for his masterful speeches, which touched the heart of his audiences. This had been a contributing cause of his breakthrough as a spokesman for the Southern Leadership Conference, which stood as a symbol for integration and the rights of the black community. This organization he both helped start and lead. From childhood his white playmate had influenced him to be sympathetic to whites. Throughout his adult years he had felt that he was of equal value to the white people of Alabama where he had his home. In his last speech, where he also refers to the fact that his life had been threatened on the way to Memphis that same day, he said among other things:

I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land. So I'm happy, tonight. I'm not worried about anything. I'm not fearing any man. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.

     Dr. King attempted to live the creed, which so many white people strove to deny the black community at that time. This was the creed formulated at the founding of America as a nation. It stated that 'all men are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. Among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness'. This was the 'high and noble good' he wished all Americans would share one day. Without a doubt this courageous champion of freedom for all, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. now has been able to experience the glorious coming of the Lord. What we pause to reflect on today is what this coming might mean for us who as yet have not in the same way experienced seeing the promised land. To carry these thoughts along the lines of liberating insight which earlier inspired Dr. King we refer again to his reading of Swedenborg, who in one of several ecumenical messages has inspired countless prominent men and women in history:

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It is very common for those who have taken up an opinion respecting any truth of faith, to judge of others that they cannot be saved, unless they believe as they do ?a judgment which the Lord has forbidden (Matt.vii.1, 2). On the other hand, I have learned from much experience that men of every religion are saved, provided that by a life of charity they have received remains of good and of apparent truth....The life of charity consists in thinking kindly of another, and in wishing him well; and in perceiving joy in one's self from the fact that others also are saved. But those have not the life of charity who desire that none should be saved except those who believe as they do; and especially is this the case with those who are indignant that it is otherwise. This may be seen from the mere fact that more from the Gentiles are saved than from Christians; for those Gentiles who have thought kindly of their neighbor and have wished well to him, receive the truths of faith in the other life better than those who are called Christians, and acknowledge the Lord more than Christians do. For nothing is more delightful and blessed to the angels than to instruct those who come from the earth into the other life (Arcana Coelestia 2284:4, 5).

     Without a doubt we can say this about Martin L. King today: If he continues in the next life to stand for the principle of non?violence and attempts to help his fellow brothers and sisters to see the coming of the Lord, such as he did in this world, then he surely belongs to one of the angelic societies which have been given the task of demonstrating the self sacrifice of the Lords own great love, both in the ?promised land` and here in the world.

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     The man with the great dream who was given to see the coming of the Lord, has by now most likely experienced a confirmation of this dream, and has therefore been given the privilege of sharing his attention and efforts for the equality of people black and white. Dr. King has now personally witnessed that reality which he testifies to seeing in the Bible and in Swedenborg's Writings.

Appreciation.

     From history we know that appreciation might come long after someone has died. This is the case both of Dr. King and Swedenborg. Dr. King was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1977 and Congressional Gold Medal in 2004. Also a Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on the third Monday of January was established as a U.S. national holiday in 1986. An international honor was awarded Swedenborg by the cultural arm of the United Nations, UNESCO. In 2005 its Department for Europe in Paris, decided to include Swedenborg's name on its exclusive honor roll after an initial recommendation by the former dean of the university of Stockholm, Dr. Inge Jonsson. UNESCO decided to include Swedenborg's name as a representative of Sweden to be included on its "Memory of the World" register then consisting of the 123 most important authors in history. This celebrity status has beside Swedenborg been given only to Astrid Lindgren and later to Ingmar Bergman who towards the end of his life was able to deal with his own existential crisis after reading Swedenborg. It is considered to be a great honor for a nation to have one or more of its famous authors on this exclusive register. In Denmark there are two names on the Memory of the World register: H. C. Andersen and Soren Kierkegaard. Both read Swedenborg.

Freedom as a Theme.

     It is as a freedom fighter we honor Dr. King. "Freedom" as a theme for this health exhibition is particularly well suited when one wants to speak of his importance as a civil rights icon today.

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Here we refer to Dr. King's own statement on freedom below, alongside two of many statements on freedom from the Writings of Swedenborg:

"It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty?three is not an end, but a beginning. Those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual." "The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people. For many of our white brothers as evidenced by their presence here today have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny and they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom. We can not walk alone" (Excerpt from the "I Have a Dream" Speech).

All freedom to think and act is from the spiritual man. What is spiritual consist in thinking and willing from heaven from the Lord (Apocalypse Explained 540). Does anyone fail to remember and love someone, who out of zealous love for his country fights an enemy to the death, so as to free his country from the yoke of slavery? (True Christianity 710)

     Who can deny that Dr. King had the courage and fortitude to resist the slavery of prejudice with dignity? Thought and will from heaven have inspired many artists, authors and activists through the ages, both here in the Northern Europe and in foreign countries.

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Here we will refer to a short catalogue in honor of the memory of Dr. King, who in daring to fight for his dream of freedom and equality for all, gave his life as a modern martyr. Like Lincoln and Mahatma Gandhi who were influenced by Swedenborg, Dr. King was inspired in his struggle for freedom by this visionary of the Bible.

Swedenborg's Influence.

     Those who investigate Swedenborg's influence have found traces of his writings through?out the world. Currently he has been translated to 46 languages. It is generally believed that Swedenborg has had a secondary influence on culture, literature, sociology and philosophy through his writings. Here we will mention one Danish example in particular. Soren Kierkegaard owned four of Swedenborg's works. However, it has been claimed that this most likely was not important since Kierkegaard was a collector of books. Actually if one goes to the four volumes in question, which can be found at Det Kongelige Danske Bibliotek (The Royal Danish Library) in Copenhagen, one will find Kierkegaard's own handwritten marginal comments in these books. This shows that "the father" of existentialism not only collected, but also read Swedenborg's books, which also is evident in Kierkegaard's later writings.

     H.C. Andersen knew Kierkegaard and was well acquainted with current European thought of his time. He, like Dostojevskij, used several ideas from Heaven and Hell when he wrote his famous fairy tales. According to the custom of the day he did not disclose his sources.

International Recognition.

     Among authors beside Dr. King who have expressed their appreciation of Swedenborg as a modern visionary is Thomas Carlyle from England who writes: "More truths have been revealed in his writings than in any other. One of these suns which will shine brighter as the years pass." The socially engaged British feminist and author Elisabeth Barret Browning wrote:

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"...only Swedenborg's philosophy has shed light on the other life. It explains much which earlier was incomprehensible." From America Edward Everett Hale wrote: "Swedenborgianism has done the liberating work of the last century. The statements of Swedenborg's religious works have revolutionized theology." Helen Keller who conquered her blind and deaf handicap wrote with joy of her introduction to Swedenborg and his influence: "I have wandered through sunny landscapes of truth, I have drunk from the sweet waters of knowledge and the eyes of my spirit have been opened. I feel the joy of the visionary who conquers darkness and embraces heaven... Swedenborg's message has meant so much to me!" From Japan: ?The well known Zen Buddhist author D.T. Suzuki, who translated Heaven and Hell into Japanese claims in his book: The Buddha of the North that Swedenborg's religious philosophy is an unfathomable deep. He claims that one who reads his writings with attention and with quiet afterthought, will find elements which are "difficult to dismiss." "Heaven is divine love and hell self?love," he says "while we, in between, must decide our lot for ourselves. Swedenborg called this freedom equilibrium" (Buddha of the North p. 83).

Religion for all.

     In itself religion is a living connection to God. Our God and Savior wills to make an angelic heaven from mankind. This is the heavenly reality which Dr. King called "the banquet of the Lord." The way to this banquet goes through the revelation of divine truth. Here Emanuel Swedenborg continues to be a prophetic voice from heaven. A spiritual connection to the Lord takes place primarily when humans act according to His will. The main features of the Christian Religion consist in the acknowledgement and worship of the Lords Glorified Human through actively resisting evil as sin against Him in the effort to perform a use.

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     A living belief dares to practice personal repentance before engaging in civic action. Good is then supported by doctrine to reach the goal of good for ones fellowman. All people of spiritual integrity can support such a goal and recognize those who uphold the vision of acceptance and peace for all mankind.

     Here we again note Dr. Martin L. King's historic significance as an international voice. As a practitioner of the principle of non?violence, his name is written in shining letters on the memory of the world. As he noted in his I Have a Dream speech: "Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom to ring-when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children- black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics-will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: 'Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!'"
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     [I]nterior intellectual light is not manifest to anyone in the natural world, but it is clearly manifest in the spiritual world. This light [is] acquire[d] from ...freedom of speech and of the press, and consequent freedom of thought. With others, who have not such freedom, that light is suppressed because it has no outlet. True Christian Religion 807

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WHOM CAN WE TRUST? 2009

WHOM CAN WE TRUST?       Rev. NORMAN E. RILEY       2009


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     It has not been unknown to hear people say that the Revelation of the Second Coming is too difficult to understand. This brings to mind that momentous occasion recorded in John, chapter 6. The Lord had addressed a crowd of people. After they had heard Him they said, "This is a hard saying; who is able to hear it?" (v. 60) Then they all left Him. He did not go after them to ask what they had wanted Him to say, but simply asked if what they had heard had offended them.

     We here note that it is not the truth that offends but that which is in opposition to the truth.

     The Lord then turned to the twelve and asked, "Are you also going to go away?" Peter gave the answer for all. "Lord, to whom can we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life" (John 6:68).

     The expression, eternal life, is sometimes confused with everlasting life. The latter is something we cannot do anything about since once we are born we will continue to live. The former however, does require us to do something, since it involves living for the true end and purpose for which we have been created. This is involved in the reply made by Peter.

     Anyone of sound reason knows that there can be only one Life, truly such, and that life is God Who is Life in Itself; the Infinite Divine Love and Divine Wisdom. All created things have their life from Him. It is this life in us which enables us to will and think and even "as if from ourselves". Its dwelling place is in what is called the Soul, or sometimes the Human Internal. Fortunately it is above our conscious awareness. If it were not we would be in danger of damaging and perverting it, as we do with so many things. If this took place it would result in total extinction.

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     Although we are created in the order of life we cannot be born into it. If we were it would be a state of compulsion, which would be contrary to the very nature of the Divine Love which is to give what is of itself for the sake of others. This therefore necessitates a state of freedom of choice which the Lord provides and protects in us.

     All things in the natural world, in its three kingdoms, are in the order of their use, which are for the natural alone, above which they cannot rise. Man however, has been created for spiritual uses, which are for eternity. It is for this reason that a Revelation has been given that by means of the truth a choice can be made. When we therefore pray as taught, "Thy Kingdom come" it is that the desire of our life should be governed by the Lord. This however can only take place actually when we shun in ourselves, whatever we find to be contrary to the truth. By this means our understanding can be reformed within us; which is the sight of the Spiritual being born in us.

     This is what is meant by the words of the Lord to Nicodemus recorded in John, "Except a man be born anew he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (John 3: 3). This is the reason for reading the Word.

     Concerning the Revelation of the Word now given, we read in the True Christian Religion 776, "The Second Coming of the Lord is not in Person but in the Word that is from Him and is Himself." "Not in Person," means not a repeat of what He did at His first coming, by assuming a Human in the world for the purpose of Redemption.

     "The Word that is from Him and is Himself." What powerful and moving words. When we read it for the sake of life it is the Lord Himself speaking with us. If therefore we read it because it is from Him and He with us, for the sake of His ends and purposes, we know that He will enlighten us when the need arises.

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     While it is true that we need a faithful translation, it is also true that we do not need any changes from ourselves. This would be to place ourselves above the Lord in the belief that what is from us will be better understood than what is from the Lord.

     We are instructed to draw doctrine from the Word. This means drawing together what the Word states in several places where similar truths are dealt with. To this end we read in Arcana Coelestia #4197:7, "The command in the representative Church, that every truth shall stand at the mouth of two or three witness and not at the mouth of one only (see Numbers 35:30, Deuteronomy 12:6, 7, Matthew 18:16) is founded on the Divine Law that one truth does not confirm good, but several truths do, for one truth without connection with others is not confirming, but where there are several."

     Whenever therefore we are tempted to turn away from reading the Word, may the reply made by Peter come to mind, "Lord to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life."
Like Angelic Speech 2009

Like Angelic Speech              2009


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      [T]he internal sense of the Word... coincides completely with the universal language in which the angels are, or with the spiritual speech of their thought. Their speech is spiritual, because their thought is from the light of heaven, which is from the Lord. Arcana Coelestia 4387:2

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RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE 2009

RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE       Editor       2009


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     Why don't we see angels anymore? Angels are part of the Bible Story. The angel of the Lord went up in the flame of a fire while Manoah and his wife looked in terror. An angel dressed as a man of war blocked Joshua's path. Wouldn't we love to see something like that? Well, it may happen, because The Lord can open anyone's eyes "any time it seems good to Him" (Heaven and Hell 171). Those Near Death Experiences some people have experienced are treasured. We all wish to qualify for these, especially after reading so much about the afterlife in the Writings. We wonder, "why can't I see it the same way?"

     It used to be the case in the Most Ancient Church. "I have been taught that the people of the Most Ancient church, which existed before the flood, had such heavenly characters that they conversed with angels in heaven" (Sacred Scripture 21True Christian Religion 202). After the end of that Church, however, no one could communicate as openly with angels anymore. After the human invention of evil, the human proprium came into existence and began to accumulate tendencies to evils of every kind. Do you know what that does to the Church? "Everyone is producing hereditary evil through the sins of his own doing, and adding this to what he acquired from his parents. In this manner it mounts up and remains in all his descendants...This is the chief reason why every Church degenerates, including the Most Ancient" (Arcana Coelestia 494).

     Evil tendencies kill the Church. Because of those evils in us, witnessing the same miraculous events today would thereafter effect our spiritual life. The human race withdrew from heaven, necessitating the Advent.

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The Advent "began" during Noah's Flood, but was postponed by the Tabernacle and Temple housing the angelic heavens most perfectly. Angels attended the sons of Israel in their rituals, with a 'buffer zone' of simple spirits who delighted in the external rites themselves, angels and spirits constituting the cause for the miraculous appearance of the "pillar of fire and cloud." (cf. Arcana Coelestia 8588.6, 8788, 8192) That made the Lord's Advent as if "present" i.e. happening now, for the angels: "Unless these things had been manifested to the angels as present realities by means of the Word, and also by means of all the religious observances of the Jewish Church, it would have been necessary for the Lord to come into the world immediately after the fall of the Most Ancient Church, ...for the Lord's Advent was foretold immediately the Fall took place, Genesis 3:15." There was no other way for the human race to be saved (Arcana Coelestia 2523).

     However, people withdrew from the angels: "But when the human race departed from the good of love and charity it was no longer possible for that light to be provided by way of heaven," giving wisdom and intelligence to the human race. In order to save the human race, "the Lord out of necessity came into the world and made Divine the Human within Himself" (Arcana Coelestia 4180:5). Thus "Jehovah or the Lord flowed in through heaven into the human race, but because this did not suffice when man removed himself from good, the Lord came into the world and made the Human in Himself Divine" (Arcana Coelestia 6373).

     That is why angels no longer appear: we withdrew from them! The angelic host of angels from the Society Gabriel could not longer provide revelations, and so the "voice of God" dictated the Scriptures instead. If such events were restored and happened exactly the same to us today, our sanity or even eternal existence would be in jeopardy.

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     Why? Because our evil tendencies would torture us. Unclean spirits flee heaven if they were not yet purified! Yes, it is dangerous for us to experience open communication now. "Miracles ceased" after the Lord's Advent (Arcana Coelestia 1001m A 1001, 1003,4832). The Lord no longer flows into us the way He did prior to the Advent (Arcana Coelestia 3061, 6280, 6371, 6831, 9315). Angels are no longer manifestations of the Divine transflux, presenting a "Divine Human" to view; instead, the Lord has His own Divine Human, assumed by birth and made Divine by its glorification. He now appears in His own right, as the Divine Human, witnessed by us in the pages of Heavenly Doctrine. So that is where the "religious experience" lies for the future of the New Church: not in any esoteric blend of eastern arts, nor in the enthusiastic types of services known to Evangelicals; but in the Heavenly Doctrines and regeneration.

     Although the Christian Church did begin with the appearance of angels - both at the birth and death of Jesus - and by means of miracles which established Christianity, this was because "without [miracles which the Lord performed] no [Christian] Church would have been established" (Spiritual Experiences minor 4724). Still, no miracles as mentioned in the Gospels, happen today!

     This resounding absence is labeled the "death of the immediacy of God" by one Catholic scholar, Edouard Schillebeeckx (1916 ?, in Christ, the Experience of Jesus as Lord, Crossroad, 1999, p. 808). He calls this a supreme embarrassment, or the "sorest problem" of Christians today. "There seems to be no direct relationship with God today," he continues, i.e. direct contact as we read happened in the Bible. People therefore are bent on having a religious experience of their own, but they "are hard put to equal the Biblical manifestation."

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In an aside here, if anyone does claim "God spoke to me in a dream," the universal retort by the scholarly community today is: "That is nothing more than saying 'I dreamt God spoke to me." Thus today's claim of God's Omnipotent voice has only the validity of a dream! How relevant is that? Swedenborg faced the same skepticism, claiming people would think him "mad" for mentioning to a widow that her husband was watching her at his own funeral through Swedenborg's eyes! (Cf. Spiritual Experiences 5837).

     "He only dreamt it." A "sore problem" indeed. No angels in the living room today! No "Word of God" experience can be validated, especially since any valid revelation always results in "the Written Word." Only the Old and New Testaments have passed the grade so far. The Heavenly Doctrines are the Word of the Second Advent to all New Church members and pass the grade by virtue of conviction.

     Well, the "religious experience" of today stands in for the miracles of yesteryear. A religious experience today is any attenuation of the barrier between the spiritual world and the natural. Another definition is an "encounter with the divine." In pursuit of a subjective sensation similar to "nirvana", many types of activities have come from the east into the west in the last 150 years. It is any subjective sensation of the "bardo" mentioned in the Tibetan book of the dead, the very stuff of reincarnation claims from Daoism, Hinduism and Buddhism onwards, i.e. seeing the past and the future together, or timelessness, or American Indian vision quests. All such religious experiences could be labeled "encounters with the divine."

     The Dominican scholar, Schillebeeckx, whose Christology I studied, traces our own "religious experiences" back to the original "Abba contrast experiences" of Jesus of Nazareth. They are all the times Jesus says, "Father" in the Gospels, which is "Abba" in Aramaic.

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Schillebeeckx calls these "contrast experiences" since Jesus saw the Divine on one hand, and all the inexplicable human suffering on the other. We trace a genuine "contrast experience" of our own to the original ones of Jesus, and thus our experiences become "fragments" of the Kingdom of God. Just as Jesus received revelation, He, being now raised and accepted by the Father, sends that same revelation as pneuma, the Holy Spirit, to his subjects in the Church (Schillebeeckx, Church, the Human Experience of God, 5, 20, 31). Human beings thus "relive" the life of Christ in continuing the mission for eliminating the sources of suffering.

     We look on this a bit differently from Schillebeeckx, but thank him for the framework: what he calls "fragments of the Kingdom of God", i.e. our own revelation "engendered" by our own "contrast experiences," the Writings identify as enlightenment from regarding the Word as holy. "Interior enlightenment from the Lord consists in a man's perceiving at first hearing whether what is said is true or not true; and exterior enlightenment is derived from this in the thought." (Divine Providence 168). From this he knows how to live. Well, after His Advent, the risen Lord now as a Divine Human, could enlighten all people in a new way: He could, from 2000 years ago up to the present and into the future, "enlighten not only heaven, but also the human race, not only the internal man, but also the external man," not only "the rational but also the natural" (True Christian Religion 109, Arcana Coelestia 2776:3, 3195:3, 4180:5). This enlightenment acts as a revelation, but it is based on seeing the Word of the Lord. The spiritual darkness invoked on the human race from "naturalism and atheism" which began to take root in the "interior rational mind" on earth, leading up to the Last Judgment of 1757 (True Christian Religion 771), was fomented by accumulated false heavens in the world of spirits which lay "between the Lord and His Church" so that people "could not be enlightened" (Last Judgment 11).

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These false heavens were dispersed, and that is when a new enlightenment began! And since the Lord could enlighten both the spiritual and natural halves of their minds, this without a doubt is what accounts for the development of science and technology: rational light in the realms of science. The rational mind was delivered from the trap of false heavens, and enlightenment with its own joy was restored "in the world of spirits and on earth" (Continuation of the Last Judgment 30). The order of heaven could thus inflow into "rational things of men...lest all things perish" (Apocalypse Explained 306). Heaven's order was restored, and can now flow in, along with "spiritual freedom" and a "more free state of thinking on matters of faith" and on "things relating to heaven" (Last Judgment 73). That was why, in these new mental conditions in that era of history which also ends up being called "The Enlightenment", that the spiritual sense of the Word could be revealed, which consists of "interior Divine truths" (ibid.). All this also accounts for the beginning ?from the 1750s ?of Classical Music, and of the true Pianoforte or grand piano. Haydn the father of the symphony composed from the 1750s, Mozart from the 1760s, and Beethoven from the 1770s.

     This new enlightenment also accounts for the beginnings of a New Church, with its own priesthood. Enlightenment from the Holy Spirit, which is Divine Truth flowing from the Divinely Human Lord, both together with and apart from the Writings which were inspired by the Holy Spirit, is promised with inauguration: this further opens up the perception and disposition to provide proper instruction by New Church priests (True Christian Religion 146, 155).

     Enlightenment is to the New Church what Schillebeeckx calls the "contrast experience" which engenders a revelation. Such enlightenment is a wonderful potential in the non?New Church world as well.

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The New Church, however, alters Schillebeeckx's interpretation, simply by saying our regeneration relives the Lord's glorification. The "contrast experience" is a temptation. But instead of a "revelation", we now have the Heavenly Doctrines! Everyone in the world is "called" to enter the New Jerusalem, which is to accept the Heavenly Doctrines as the Word of the Lord in His Second Advent, i.e. the Word as in heaven, so now also upon the earth. The New Church has no need for any esoteric religious experience, or "nirvana," since reading Heaven and Hell supplies it gratis. No other "high" is needed or as trustworthy. Heaven has already opened up, and we visit it at will by reading and hearing the Writings. New Church members uniformly forgo any demand for "proof" of the afterlife. No s?ance is needed, since it is already self?evident. In fact, requiring a personal "divine" encounter before accepting the Doctrines, would be a bit of an insult: why on earth need to prove it? The afterlife is already a dead certainty!

     But some still want to have such religious experiences, or "encounter the divine." The Lord's own disciples wanted it too when they asked shall we "call down fire from heaven" on a village of unbelievers? (Luke 9:54.) The ancient expression of "calling fire from heaven" means to testify of the truth! (Apocalypse Revealed 599). However, the disciples were fairly hissing, "We'll show them!" That is why the Lord's reply was, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of." The rebuke stung, because only "...an evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign shall be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet" (Matt. 12:38?40; Luke 11:16, 29, and 30). "Miracles are signs" only if people are good at heart (Apocalypse Explained 706:6) Since the disciples were calling for a sign, which good people never do, they were ipso facto moved by retaliation. Hence "not knowing what spirit you are of", i.e. they did not know that they were then in an evil state.

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Most un?angelic of them.

     Instead, the sign of Jonah, i.e. three days in the belly of the whale, is the only "miracle" or "divine encounter" we should need to have, or meet with in our lives. It means the Lord's glorification! (ibid.) The Lord's own "contrast experience" facing 'Abba' the Divine Itself as His own soul. If the Glorification of the Lord is inserted for our own regeneration, then from the power the Lord took to Himself He now after His resurrection, gives us to continue "His Work" in our own "spiritual temptations." He does the same work over again, i.e. removing from us our evils which He removed during His own temptations. "Once having conquered, He conquers forever." (Arcana Coelestia 9718, 9715, 8273). For "..man's regeneration is an image of the Lord's glorification" (Arcana Coelestia 4353, cf. 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490) "Anything in the Word that means a person's regeneration also means the glorification of the Human within the Lord; for a person's regeneration is an image of the Lord's glorification (Arcana Coelestia 3138, 3212, 3296, 3490, 4402, 5688). This is why the Lord, when He allowed John to baptize Him, said, "Thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all the righteousness of God" Matt. 3:15. For by this glorification He filled Himself with power, in order in His Divine Human He could keep the hells in subjection forever, maintain the heavens in order, and so regenerate a person, that is, deliver him from the hells and save him (cf. Arcana Coelestia 10239:5,6). So the ultimate religious experience for the New Church, is regeneration. And since this is what we should strive for, consequently baptism and the holy supper too are spiritual experiences, in which every New Church person should participate. And since the requirement of taking these sacraments involves self?examination and repentance, which scholars call metanoia, i.e. a conversion within oneself, such things also are "contrast experiences." So we add self?examination and repentance to the plate of religious experiences for the New Church member.

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     Regeneration however, "is one thing, and worship is another." (Arcana Coelestia 10206). It is during worship that much contact with the Divine is sought after. Did you know there is a book of the Writings which deals exactly with religious experience, encountering the Divine? It looks like a manual! However, it not a manual, but a description of Swedenborg's personal experiences in carrying out his call to write the Writings. We follow at great peril. It is the book De Verbo, i.e. "The Word of the Lord from experience." There we see how Swedenborg could talk with angels in angelic language, but found it was impossible to put this into human language! However, when the Lord inspired him, as He did when Swedenborg "read the Word" (i.e. Sacred Scripture, the Schmidius Bible he had), then there was nothing which Swedenborg could not put down "rationally and comprehensibly, in natural language." (De Verbo 3:6)

     So is this an invitation to experience what Swedenborg did? No. Elsewhere we read how we would meet up with those spirits who strive to "destroy us in thousand of ways" (Arcana Coelestia 5863). Instead, De Verbo points out that "nothing is superior to the Word of the Lord," not even "direct revelation from angels"!

     "How far indirect revelation made by means of the Word is superior to direct revelation by means of spirits." Op. Cit 13, title.

     You would think that "direct revelation" would hit top marks for "encountering the Divine." Some would die for this, while others might settle for "astral travel." But in neither case would we be any better off: "hearing spirits" just as seeing angels, actually addresses the exterior part of the human being. Such "religious ecstasy" takes place while the "will is governed by evil."

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A person can "be taught and so to speak enlightened, even though his will is governed by evil" (De Verbo 13). Miracles never saved anyone! Seeing angels does not necessarily mean we are regenerate. Seeing visions does not qualify us for heaven. Encountering the divine does not necessarily mean we are angelic. All these may have some benefits, but fall by the way compared to the written Word of the Lord. Why? Because only the good can accept it:

     "Enlightenment by means of the Word comes by an inner path, while enlightenment by direct revelation comes by a path from the outside. A person is enlightened by the Lord by means of the Word to the degree that his will is intent on good" (De Verbo 13). An evil mentality meanwhile would "also disparage the Word of God...Consequently when the natural man reads the Word and seeks to discover where its Divinity lies, but does not find it in the letter on account of its very ordinary style, he at first begins to disparage it and then to reject the idea that it has been dictated by God and sent down to mankind by way of heaven" (Arcana Coelestia 9280:3).

     Using Schillebeeckx again regarding the "religious experience" today, he predicts that if they "disconnect from Gospel times," and regard current Church practices as "irrelevant," then moved by a "surplus of religion in the human mind," while also yearning for "more social well?being," they will fill the "empty space in their own way which is sometimes bizarre" (Schillebeeckx, Church: The Human Story of God, Crossroads, 1996, p. 60) They go "exponential," turning to "s?ances, mediums, drugs," anything whatever as means for attaining the "religious high" of one's articulation. "Groups of adherents close ranks and chant in unison."

     Instead, the most normal and everyday New Church religious experience of "seeing angels" or hearing "God speaking" is to see the Word as angels see it, namely in the Writings.

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We are "consociated with angels" (AR 818), and we "hear God speaking" by means of the Word of Heavenly Doctrine. For although "The internal sense of the Word is chiefly for the angels, it is also for men," Heavenly Doctrine 259) i.e. it is "suitable for men" (True Christian Religion 195) "if they are in good" (Apocalypse Explained 556:9), and "while living in the world, to be like the angels" (Arcana Coelestia 2242:3). Our path to heaven, to commune with angels, to hear God speaking, is by the constant turning to the Writings. The light of understanding truth is mediated by the text itself, by the rational language into which heaven's secrets have been placed. The ultimate religious experience is thus to read the Writings. And in life, it is to be regenerated, "each according to their occupation" (True Christian Religion 580).

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     Thank you to several Readers of New Church Life, who sent Letters to the Editor in response to the July 2009 Article, "The Love of One's Country." Through no fault of the Author of the Article, its publication went against the policy of not airing political views. For the same reason, because this article drew mainly political comments, it has been decided not to continue this debate. The Editor regrets this digression from policy, but welcomed the alertness of Readers and the eloquence of their responses. Any contribution to publication is welcome for consideration.

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REPORT OF TRIP TO WEST AFRICA - JUNE 2009 2009

REPORT OF TRIP TO WEST AFRICA - JUNE 2009       Rev. BRIAN W. KEITH       2009


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     Our new Executive Director, Dave Frazier, and I just returned from a trip to West Africa. The trip had been originally scheduled to dedicate the newly constructed church building in Tema, Ghana. But we included stops in Cote d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) and Togo. Dave was there both as a representative of the General Church which provided extensive funding for the Tema church building, but also for him to experience the church there to aid in understanding the uses and support issues we face.

     The trip went quite well and we were busy virtually the entire time. Things are generally in a good state there, progressing well, but there are also some real challenges - probably something that could be said of anywhere in the church.

     We arrived in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on Friday evening, June 12th. We had expected Sylvain Agnes, one of the two ministers in Cote d'Ivoire to meet us. But, Roger Koudou, the other ordained minister, met us because Sylvain could not get there due to flooding on the roads. (This is their rainy season. The rains only come sporadically, but when they do come they can be impressive and often make travel difficult. That Sunday a storm hit during church, and we could hardly hear the speakers at that time - and they were using an amplified sound system!)

     There are two separate congregations in Abidjan, one led by Sylvain and the other by Roger. Sylvain's congregation has been using rented land, on which they have now constructed a cinder block church building with two classrooms and an office. (Sylvain is not worried that he will lose his lease since he is a welcomed presence in that community and now has strong connections with the local political system.) Roger has creatively turned the flat roof of his house into a church, with a free standing roof constructed above the regular one.

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The lack of walls also provides a nice breeze!

     Sylvain's and Roger's congregations are both in Abidjan, probably a 20?30 minute drive from each other. This appears to be close, but the reality there is that virtually everyone walks to church. This severely limits the distance people can travel to church, so geographic location is critical. One of the challenges here is that when they start congregations on leased premises, lose the lease and have to move, they often lose up to 50% of their congregations who are no longer able to make the trip. It is no wonder that they request funds to purchase land for a church building. This also fits in with Sylvain's plan to plant four other churches in Abidjan. It may seem like a lot in one general area, but is not.

     I should also note that Sylvain has founded a theological school. It has six students, five of whom are on track to graduate and be ordained next June. He has inventively stitched together a faculty. He has several local part time faculty who teach church history and other non?doctrinal aspects of the curriculum. For New Church doctrine, he is the primary teacher. But he also has the Rev. Alain Nicolier spend a month with the theologs each year. And Alain, the Rev. Dan Goodenough and the Rev. G?ran Appelgren (both of whom are conversant in French, the language of the country and school) provide academic direction and grade papers of the students from a distance.

     We started off early Saturday morning with Sylvain leading us to a park on one of their major rivers for six baptisms. Sylvain conducted most of the ritual, and I performed the baptisms. Four were people in their twenties, and the parents of one of the young women, the husband being a fairly high ranking government official. The traditional form for baptisms there has been total immersion, although some just knelt at the river's edge and I used a handful of water from the river.

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(While the Writings speak of water applied to the person's head and breast, there is no prohibition about total immersion, which has occasionally been used in the General Church. Christian tradition originated as total immersion, following the Lord's baptism by John in the Jordan River. However, that tradition was modified to using just a handful of water when the church spread to northern Europe and winter baptisms became a health risk.)

     Later in the morning we visited Sylvain's new property. This new land was purchased from the local chief, Adolf. It is completely undeveloped land that looks to be on the edge of the city's growth. The chief met us there and we had a land dedication ceremony. This consisted of us joining him in a glass of rum and then pouring the last drops on the ground. This is not a custom Dave and I are used to, but the chief was very pleased that we did this since it showed respect for local traditions. This should help Sylvain's stature in that area.

     Sylvain's game plan is to hand off his current church building and congregation to one of the theologs after the expected ordinations next year. Then he plans to found a new congregation and construct a church building on the new property. His goal is a 1,000 member congregation and a building to support that. His vision is that with a base like that, and then smaller satellite churches, led by the newly ordained men, can be supported from his center. This projected facility would also then house the ongoing theological training.

     Starting a congregation from scratch might seem like a daunting task. It is. However, in West Africa it is quite viable, as Sylvain and others have already demonstrated.

     Returning to the schedule, after a late lunch we visited Roger's group. Actually, we went to a high school complex where Roger teaches. Under a large outdoor pavilion he was leading an evangelistic revival.

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There were over 150 people there, and the purpose was to introduce them to the New Church and encourage them to attend services. I spoke here, as I found myself doing at virtually every gathering - whether alerted in advance or not! Dave was also called upon to say a few words, which he got more and more accustomed to on this trip.

     Afterward we visited Roger's home and saw his congregation. There were at least 20 adults and probably that many children. Some of these are orphans whom families in the congregation care for. The country's recent civil strife has produced a large number of orphans. He has baptized 35 adults whom he considers members, and plans to baptize about 10 on a monthly basis for the rest of this year. In addition to acquiring a church building, he has a dream of founding a school for orphans, where he can give them quality education and a full instruction in the New Church.

     Sunday we held church services at Sylvain's building, with Roger and some of his congregation joining in. We were late getting picked up, and so arrived at the church about 30 minutes late - no problem, since they were enjoying singing and dancing anyway! The service lasted for over three hours, with young elementary school children seated throughout - without making any disturbances! We were marched in by a group of women. Dignitaries, including a representative of the mayor and a couple of other clergy, were seated on the chancel. The service included a regular sermon from me, a holy supper service, a baby naming ceremony (very similar to a baptism but without the water), an hour long play by the women about how to get resistant people to come to church, and then speeches by dignitaries at the end. All these events were punctuated with much religious singing and dancing. The church was filled with a spirit of joy.

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     After lunch we met with the theologs and wives, then with the theological school faculty. I even had the opportunity to look over the students' corrected papers. Although I do not know French, I could guess at how well they did by the number of comments in Dan Goodenough's distinctive hand style!

     That evening we met with Sylvain's board. We talked about the future of the church there and the issues they are wrestling with. These discussions not only informed us about what is going on there, but also connected them to the wider General Church.

     On Monday we spent the morning with Roger and Sylvain as they ferried us to the airport. We flew to Accra in Ghana, and had dinner with the Rev. Ankra?Badu and the Rev. Kwasi Darkwah that evening. This was a chance to work out some of the last minute details about the visit and all the upcoming events - June 19th celebrations on Friday, the Tema school graduation on Saturday, and the dedication of the Tema church building on Sunday June 21st.

     Tuesday was devoted to traveling to Asakraka, which took the entire day. Asakraka is a small town about 4 hours drive inland from Accra. (It would be much quicker if the road system in Accra were in better repair and not as crowded as it is.) The school of slightly over 300 students is doing well. Their elementary school graduates ranked 5th of the 79 schools in the region this year on standardized test scores. They have recently added a junior high and the pastor, the Rev. Martin Gyamfi has plans for a full high school, college, and theological training eventually.

     The impetus to start schools throughout West Africa is impressive. In part it stems from the background of a number of the clergy, some of whom were teachers before finding the New Church. They also see it as a way to quickly legitimize their churches in new areas.

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In addition, they see it as planting seeds for future growth with the children, and as a means of introducing the parents of the students to our doctrines - which they regularly do, some of whom have joined the church.

     On Wednesday they held their graduation ceremonies in their church building. While not a church service, there was much singing. I gave a talk on the New Church, and Dave and I got to hand out academic and athletic awards. The proceedings took all morning and then we had a light lunch with the faculty.

     That evening we met with board members from Asakraka, Nteso and Ofrmase. Ofrmase is where Gyamfi is from and has the earliest New Church presence in the area. It is a small group, but they meet weekly for services. Either Gyamfi or the Rev. Israel Ampen?Darko, who currently assists Gyamfi in the school, helps them out from time to time.

     On Thursday morning we traveled to Nteso to see their facilities. Nteso is without a pastor. Gyamfi and Israel also help out here, but Immanuel is the lay leader, who is very gradually training to be a minister. Even given their small size and remote location, they are building a small three room school and hope to open year after next. Surprisingly, there were about 12 people there to greet us, including the chief who has joined the New Church. While it was not a church service, they sang and danced for us. There, like everywhere else, there was a strong desire to have connections with the broader church. (They suggested it would be very beneficial to have visitors there from the US around Christmas time!) Afterwards we met with the chief before beginning the journey to Tema.

     On Friday, we celebrated June 19th with a church service in Tema. The scheduled time to begin was 9:00am. While we were there at that time things did not really get started until around 10:00; however, the elementary school children had been sitting quietly from before when we arrived! Regarding their more casual approach to schedules, one Ghanaian noted, "We don't let time control us, we control it."

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The graduation on Saturday also was scheduled for 9:00am , but did not begin until closer to 10:30am. When Dave asked Kwasi what time church on Sunday was scheduled to begin, he replied with a twinkle in his eye, "the usual 9:00." We held the service in the new church building. It was part formal program, with me giving a talk about the New Church, and part less formal, with the children doing recitations and engaging in a team contest about facts from the book of Revelation. At a rather late lunch we met with the faculty and talked about the needs of the Tema School.

     On Saturday was the Tema school graduation ceremonies, and the celebration of the 10th anniversary of the school. The entire school was present with many of the parents, and an official from Ghana's Department of Education was an honored guest. The school has over 150 students and scores very well in standardized tests - which are important since it is a major recruiting tool. Kwasi gave a history of the school and forcefully presented its mission, and I gave a talk on New Church education. The students did recitations, dances, and a few plays in French. Again, Dave and I were included in handing out awards.

     On Sunday we held the dedication of the Ebenezer Temple, as they have named the Tema church - in reference to the name in 1st Samuel of "God has helped us," something they deeply believe. It is difficult for us strategic planning European heritage folks to appreciate their attitude to the future and how the Lord's providence governs all. While they do planning, they know that the Lord has often provided things they have not expected, and things do not always work out as they thought. But they take it in a relaxed stride, living the teaching of Arcana Coelestia 8478:3: "Unruffled is their spirit whether they obtain the objects of their desire, or not..." It is wonderful to be in a sphere of confidence in the Lord, and a lack of anxiety about whatever might come.

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     On chancel for the service were Kwasi, Gyamfi (who traveled down for the festivities and translated my sermon on how the new church building can be a basis for building the spiritual church in their lives into Twi, the local language), the Rev. Nicholas Anochi, and the Rev. Ankra?Badu. It was a joyous celebration with wonderful music and some dancing. Dave also said a few words about General Church support for the congregation in building the church. A group from the Togo New Church also led the congregation in singing a couple of songs.

     On Monday we met with the clergy to discuss organizational matters, financial issues, and general interactions between the church in West Africa and the central offices. Included were the Revs. Segno Kodjo Ayi and Eric Souka, and also Ablam, a new candidate from Togo. They had traveled there for the dedication celebration.

     Tuesday we traveled with Ayi to Togo - always an adventure with underpaid police officers who make periodic traffic stops. That evening we had dinner and a meeting with the combined boards of Lome and Vogan, the two congregations in Togo most of whom are under 40 years old. Ayi, Eric, and Candidate Ablam are about the only ones who speak English, so everything is translated from the French. It was a productive and enjoyable time. (While this time we talked business, last year when I was there each board member described why they had come into the New Church. It was incredibly moving to hear them identify specific doctrines of the New Church they have embraced and which mean so much to them.)

     On Wednesday morning we traveled to Vogan. It is only about 1 hour away by car, but it is an entirely distinct town and region, separated from Lome by a very large lake. They had lost their lease on the property they had been renting, but were able to purchase a plot of land on one of the main roads at the outskirts of town.

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The lot is not large, about 20 x 30 meters, yet it should serve them well.

     What was delightful to see, is that they had taken down the same structure they had erected on their rented property, and reassembled it on the new property. Eric has some background in construction, so he was building a low wall and overseeing their efforts. And when we arrived at 10:00 a.m. we were quite surprised to find people in the building. Over 20 adults and about 10 children had gathered there to greet us, including a 10?person choir and band. While not a church service, they sang many hymns and we had speeches about the development of the congregation and the future for them. They are finally secure in a place that they can build from, and it is just across the road from the hospital in town.

     That evening we had a church service in the Lome congregation, and afterwards a give?and?take about the future there. It's rather amazing that so many turned out for a Wednesday evening service! The service was filled with music, song, and dance. I preached and Ayi translated. (The native language, Ewei, was used, although they also all know French.) The major issue in Lome is the lack of a permanent home. Unlike Vogan, Ayi's group rents space and is being evicted again in a couple of months. They are still searching for another rental place, hopefully not too far away so the people who have started coming can continue.

     On Thursday we began our journey home early in the morning. Ayi drove us to Accra, and we had lunch with Kwasi and his family. Unfortunately, when we got to the airport, we found our flight for Abidjan had been delayed 6 hours, making it impossible for us to catch our flight for home that day, or perhaps for several days later. It took several hours to resolve, and Universe Travel, a church operated travel agency that we had used, saved the day, enabling us to transfer to another airline with a different route and we made it back not too much later than scheduled.

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     It is truly amazing to visit a place which is much poorer than we are in the western world, and where creature comforts are sometimes not quite as comfortable, yet there is a powerful dedication to the truths of the New Church. To hear how the Heavenly Doctrines have touched their lives, how they are trying to share that with many others in their countries, and to see how they are industriously building churches, schools, and congregations, is both inspiring and reassuring - we are all part of one church regardless of distance, cultural differences, or material advantages.

     [Photograph of ministers.]

     Here from left to right, at the dedication of the new Ebenezer Temple in Tema are Rev. Mssr. Martin Gyamfi, Nicholas Anochi, Bishop Brian Keith, Kwasi Darkwah and William Ankra?Badu. The dedication plaque is behind William Ankra?Badu's head.

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CORRECTIONS 2009

CORRECTIONS              2009


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     Announcements





     Apologies to the family of Raymond van der Byl Smuts, for the misspelling of his name (New Church Life, August 2009, 347).

     Apologies to Wystan Simons for the misspelling of her name (New Church Life, August 2009, 331).

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[Blank page.]

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Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue       Editor       2009


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     Bishop Kline here preaches a much needed reminder: how to return to the Lord all that we owe Him. There are a remarkable number of references to currency in the Word, and how to approach this subject is masterfully carried out here. Where will our heart be?

     Kent Rogers is asking us to look more closely at our current spiritual life, using scripture quotes to focus our attention on a pleasant journey, enjoyable just for the steps you end up taking.

     Rev. Dr. Andy Dibb examines the Book of Revelation as a crime scene. Enjoy the first of three installments in this informative and entertaining look at the last book of the Bible.

     Did Mark Twain read Swedenborg? You be the judge. Who wrote it?

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TITHING 2009

TITHING        THOMAS L. KLINE       2009


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     A SERMON

     "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you" (Deut. 16:17).

     This morning we want to speak about the subject of contributing to the church. It is an important time of year to think about our offering of gifts to the Lord, as we look forward to our celebration of Thanksgiving and of the Lord's Advent. At Thanksgiving we are reminded of the ritual offerings of the Children of Israel. And in the Christmas story, we see the wise men from the east, coming with their gifts for the Divine child: gold, frankincense and myrrh.

     The Heavenly Doctrines teach us that Thanksgiving is not for the sake of the Lord. We read, "The Lord does indeed demand humiliation, adoration, thanksgivings, and many other things from human beings, which appear like re-payments...but the Lord does not demand these things for His own sake...but they are for the sake of the person himself; for when a person is in humiliation he can receive good from the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia 5957). Thus the wise men, from their knowledge of the Ancient Church, knew the science of correspondence, and knew the inner meaning of their offerings of gold, frankincense and myrrh, celestial, spiritual and natural good, the kinds of love that we receive from the Lord when we are in a state of humility and reception.

     Just think of some of the stories in scripture where an offering is made to the Lord. In the gospel of Luke, the Lord saw a poor widow putting two mites into the treasury. Jesus said of the widow, "Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all" (Luke 21).

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The rich had put out their abundance, but she, out of her poverty had put in the entire livelihood that she had. The widow, in her poverty, had given from her heart, and her offering was a testimony of her love to the Lord.

     In the gospel of Matthew the Lord told his disciples, "Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar...first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23). Here is a beautiful of example of the teachings that an offering to the Lord comes from a love of the neighbor, an offering which is a form of charity.

     At the very end of the gospels, a woman came with an alabaster flask of costly oil, and anointed the head of the Lord. It says that the disciples were indignant when they saw this apparent waste. The money could have been given to the poor. But Jesus answered, "You have the poor with you always, but Me you do not have always" (Matthew 26:7).

     We see the beautiful theme in these stories that our giving of an offering to the Lord is an interior giving. It is a free-will offering from love. When we give to the church, it is our way of showing what we value spiritually. Our giving is to support the very core use of the church itself, the love of the salvation of souls. We give, because our hearts burn with a desire to support this cause.

     The Lord's New Church is the greatest cause in the history of the human race. On the Nineteenth of June, 1770, the Lord sent out His twelve disciples throughout the whole of the spiritual world to proclaim the good news that the Lord Jesus Christ reigns. It is a message that will transform the world. The Lord calls each one of us to be disciples, serving in this great cause. And so we come forward and make our offering with a clear vision of this greatest of all causes. Our support can be financial, or a contribution of our time and effort, but our true offering is a spiritual offering, one of self-sacrifice, a laying down of our own lives, and dedication to this great cause.

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     But there is a more personal significance to our giving. In the Old Testament, the people were commanded to tithe: a tenth of all their abundance was really the Lord's. The Lord said to the people, "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house" (Mal. 3:10). In the strictest interpretation, any free-will offering came after the person had already given a tenth of their harvest before the Lord. But listen to what the Writings say about this offering of a tenth. "Ten, here means remnants of celestial and spiritual things...The fact that the whole of a person's charity comes to him by way of the remnants or remains that are in the internal man was represented in the Jewish Church by the requirement that once they had paid their tithes they were then to give to the Levite, the stranger, the orphan, and the widow" (Arcana Coelestia 576).

     When we give to the Lord, there is an actual correspondence of the miracle of heavenly remains, the remains of good and truth which are stored up by the Lord in our internal man are let down into conscious life so that we may serve in His name.

     As a significant part of our worship services, there is a time of offering and bringing that offering before the Lord. This is a symbol and sign of the true harvest, the spiritual harvest of our regeneration. And since this is a free-will offering, we have a custom of having the offertory basket by the door as people enter, and then during the service, bringing that offering before the altar of the Lord. Even our children are to be taught and encouraged to make a contribution to the church as a sign of this internal harvest. It is good to let our children be in the habit of contributing to the uses of the church, from an early age, so that they may partake of this natural representation of our internal love and charity.

     So the Lord commanded the people, "Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God which He has given you."

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And the Lord told his disciples, "Sell what you have and give alms; provide yourselves money bags which do not grow old, a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Luke 12:33).

     The Lord calls us to support with our hearts and lives the great cause of the building of His New Church on earth. Where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. He says to us, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest" (Luke 10:2). Amen

Bryn Athyn Cathedral 12/1/02

Lessons: Deuteronomy 16; Psalm 100; Arcana Coelestia 5957

     The Rt. Rev. Thomas Kline was inaugurated into the priesthood in 1973, and ordained into the pastoral degree in 1975. He was ordained into the Episcopal degree in 2003. He first served as Assistant to the Pastor in the Washington Society, also visiting the Atlanta group. In 1975 he became the Pastor in Atlanta, while visiting the southeast district. In 1981 he was called to be Assistant Pastor to the Bryn Athyn Society, and became Pastor in 1996. He was ordained as Assistant Bishop in 2003, and in 2004 entered the office of Executive Bishop of the General Church. He is also Chancellor of the Academy of the New Church.

[Photograph of Rt. Rev. Thoma Kline.]

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TEARING DOWN THE HIGH PLACES 2009

TEARING DOWN THE HIGH PLACES       E. KENT ROGERS       2009


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     Children are wonderful and one of the reasons is that they are full of wonder. They are curious about everything and marvel even at something so seemingly insignificant as an ant crossing a blade of grass. They are masters at living in the moment, neither projecting imaginary futures nor dwelling on ghosts of the past. Each day is a new adventure; each moment an eternity in and of itself One of the greatest aspects of such consciousness is a lack of self-awareness. Consciousness is so absorbed into what it beholds, that it is in no way thinking of its "self" Thus in that special moment, observer becomes one with the observed.

     As we grow older and our intellect increases we naturally exit that Garden of Eden state. We learn to differentiate between self and other. We begin to project potential future scenarios and, as our experiences pile up, we increasingly dwell in the past, and thereby miss full consciousness of the moment. But the greatest factor in our expulsion from Eden-like consciousness is that self-awareness takes center stage in our own consciousness and we begin to live for the sake of self-interpreting all things as evil or good depending on our subjective opinions. The fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil has been consumed.

     The Lord, however, very much desires that, as adults, we return to a state similar to that of a child in which we can lose sense of self in the wholesome enjoyment of this beautiful, astounding universe, and in the marvel of being alive. And when we are able to enjoy life in this way with another, well, that is heaven itself. And that is the purpose of all the physical and spiritual realms of reality. This is an amazing truth: all the rocks and cliffs; the rivers, seas and clouds; the grass, flowers and the trees;

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the sun, moon and stars; the birds, fish, animals and all of reality in totality exists for the singular purpose of shared joy. Thus, reality is Divine Love made manifest. Each and every aspect of creation is specifically designed by Divine Love in Divine Wisdom to facilitate our joy. The marvelous, mysterious motions all about us-the orbit of the moon; the giving way of winter to spring; the blooming of the flowers; the singing of the birds by day and the frogs by night; the slow, steady increasing in size of the fruits throughout summer until they are fragrant, red and ready to eat in the fall-all of these things are the words of the Lord. All of this amazing universe is the Lords' way of saying, "I love you!"

     A child is adept at receiving the message. Most of us, as adults, are less so. But we don't have to be satisfied in our blindness. When blind Bartimaeus called out to Jesus for help, many told him to be quiet. Part of our mind tells us that we shouldn't expect anything more out of life than what we are programmed by society to see and experience-the daily grind with the occasional peak experience. This is what life is like, we imagine. But that isn't what life is like. That is what blindness to life is like. Bartimaeus refused to be shushed, but called out all the louder, "Son of David, have mercy on me!" Jesus called him and said, "Go your way. Your faith has made you well!" And from that moment onward, Bartimaeus saw (Mark 10:46-52).

     Life is the revelation of pure Divine Love. It is nothing less. And we are created and designed to be able to perceive that and also to experience it as shared joy in the context of mutual love and true marriage love. The Lord yearns to heal us of our blindness. He's hovering over the void and darkness of our blindness, waiting to say, "Let there be light!" But He will wait until we ask. Until we wish to see, we are not ready to see. He will not cause us to see that which we do not wish to see. The sudden burst of light and vision would damage us.

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But when we, like Bartimaeus, are ready to see, we will call out to the Lord louder and louder; He will hear us and He will heal us. "Seek and you will find!"

     To the extent we fail to see Divine Love in each moment, to that extent we are blind. But if we seek and knock and ask for our vision to be healed, the Lord will surely answer us. One of the ways He answers us is to show us those things which are causing our blindness. Immediately we remember that to judge anyone for any reason is to have a huge blinding plank in our eyes. Judging and true vision of reality simply don't mix.

     Chapter 9 of John tells the story of a different man who was born blind and who received vision from Jesus. The Pharisees are very upset. The Pharisees had pre-judged reality. Their judgment against Jesus, based in an inflated sense of self-importance, blinded them from seeing an obvious act of Divine Love a man born blind now sees! And the truth is that all of our judgments arise from a secretly inflated sense of self-importance. There is no doubt of this since an accurate assessment of self would never presume worthiness to sit in God's seat.

     Overcoming inflated sense of self and subsequent self-blinding judgment is the necessary first step towards being blessed with vision, but is not the main topic here. There are still further steps we can take to allow God to open our eyes to see life for what it is: Divine Love ever unfolding as Divine Wisdom. As every little child does, but is unable to explain, living in the here and now opens the eyes to the wonder of life. This is the topic here. Learning to live in the here and now so that we can better see reality for what it is: Divine Love. Once we see that life is Divine Love, it's very hard not to have a kind of joy that simply defies verbal expression. That's where the Lord wants us: the sooner, the better.

     In the two books of Kings, we read the recurring theme of "high places," and more specifically, worship in those high places.

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Most of us have climbed to the top of a hill or mountain and felt a cool zephyr washing against our face as we look out over the wondrous landscape illuminated by a grace-filled sky. There are feelings of freedom, exhilaration and maybe even awe and joy. The heart naturally leaps at such moments and the mind naturally turns to thoughts of God. We can see a much greater distance than usual and we obtain a sense of the entire layout of the land that we usually don't appreciate. It is little wonder that people love to congregate at the top of Cathedral hill and with warm feelings of companionship and gratitude to God, watch as the sun sets. It is likewise little wonder that all around the world, people erect places of worship on high places.

     Jerusalem, where Solomon built a temple for Yahweh, is just such a high place. And centuries earlier, Melchizedek, high priest to God Most High, blessed Abraham on that very hill, then called Salem. YHWH revealed the Ten Commandments from the top of Mt. Sinai. He also proved Himself to be God Almighty through Elijah on a high place in a contest against Baal. Similarly Jesus revealed His true Divine nature on a mountain top. It is clear that worship on high places in itself is not bad.

     However, throughout the two books of Kings, the worship that occurred in the high places was not good. Some of the worship was idolatrous. Some was worse than merely idolatrous. Solomon set up altars to Molech in some high places (1 Kings 11:7) and Molech was a false god to which people sacrificed their own offspring. Some of these high places were insidious and pernicious indeed.

     But some of them were likely places where people worshipped YHWH, the true God. On one occasion, Jesus asked a Samaritan woman to draw water for him. They talked with one another and slowly the woman began to see that this was no ordinary person. "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

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Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship" (John 4:1920). The issue is not whom to worship, but where, indicating agreement on the bigger issue that it is YHWH to be worshipped. Granted, this conversation occurred centuries after the events of the Book of Kings, but the worship of YHWH was common among Jews and the other tribes of Israel in the times of the Kings. So likely, some of the high place shrines were dedicated to YHWH in the day of the Kings as well as in Jesus' times.

     The phrase high place(s) occurs forty-one times and high hill two times within the two books of Kings. In meditating on the Word, one can't help but see that the issue of high places is fairly important and one is forced to wonder what the spiritual message might be. The entire Word of God is a description of the evolution of our consciousness, our regeneration, and the Promised Land is a state of mind.

     Perhaps within the issue of "high places" in Kings, the Lord is referring to our relationship with peak emotional experiences. In common parlance we speak of "peak experiences," and "the high-point" of some duration of time. These phrases refer to experiences in time which we value or enjoy more than the others. People also "get high." Under the influence of mind altering chemicals including alcohol, the actual events of life remain the same, but the subjective perception of the experience is "heightened."

     As we saw, some high places are better than others. Peak emotional experiences obtained with chemicals or other activities that harm self and others such as theft, non-marital sex, adrenaline producing but life-threatening sports, and gambling may be seen as the most damaging kind of high places with shrines to Molech and the like. All of these activities can become addictive. Addiction is very much like child-sacrifice to Molech in that one destroys one's own ability to advance and grow into the future.

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In addiction, our spiritual life stagnates. Those affections and truths, sons and daughters, which the Lord gives us for the sake of spiritual progression, are destroyed by obsession with the addictive peak experience, Molech.

     However, there are less sinister peak experiences, high places. We may count the days to a family vacation. We may look forward to watching a football game on Sunday afternoons. We may cherish the memory of a special day we had with a loved one who has passed away. We may love a daily evening walk to the Cathedral to enjoy the sunset with our spouse. These are "high points" of our daily lives, and in and of themselves are no more harmful than the hills of Palestine. In these moments of life, we are appreciating and enjoying life. Most likely, we are sharing the joyful experience with loved ones in a wholesome way. As we saw, sharing joy in life with others is the true goal of our existence, the purpose of our being.

     But even these good experiences can become harmful if we set our heart on them. To do so is similar to building shrines to YHWH on the hilltops. True worship prescribed by YHWH was to be held in the temple in Jerusalem. All Israelites from all areas were to come to the temple of YHWH in Jerusalem to celebrate holy festivals and occasions. Jerusalem means "the church" (True Christian Religion 782; Lord 64). The church is a short word that actually means the union of love and wisdom in the human heart. And here we begin to see the meaning behind the fact that worship in Jerusalem was acceptable while worship in the other high places was not.

     Genuine love is not dependent on external events. If a man loves his wife, he will love her when she is kind and he will still love her when, having a difficult day, she is cold. A mother who loves her children will love them when they are gentle and obedient and she will continue loving them when they are bellicose and insolent. The face of her love may change, but her love remains strong.

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Wisdom is likewise above the events of time and space. Wisdom sees the life, power and love of the Lord in all that occurs, seemingly good or evil.

     "Unruffled is their spirit whether [those in the stream of providence] obtain the objects of their desire, or not; and they do not grieve over the loss of them, being content with their lot. If they become rich, they do not set their hearts on riches; if they are raised to honors, they do not regard themselves as more worthy than others; if they become poor, they are not made sad; if their circumstances are mean, they are not dejected. They know that for those who trust in the Divine all things advance toward a happy state to eternity, and that whatever befalls them in time is still conducive thereto. [4] Be it known that the Divine Providence is universal, that is, in things the most minute; and that they who are in the stream of Providence are all the time carried along toward everything that is happy, whatever may be the appearance of the means; and that those are in the stream of Providence who put their trust in the Divine and attribute all things to Him; and that those are not in the stream of Providence who trust in themselves alone and attribute all things to themselves, because they are in the opposite, for they take away providence from the Divine, and claim it for themselves. Be it known also that insofar as anyone is in the stream of Providence, so far he is in a state of peace; also that insofar as anyone is in a state of peace from the good of faith, so far he is in the Divine Providence. These alone know and believe that the Divine Providence of the Lord is in everything both in general and in particular, nay, is in the most minute things of all (as may be seen shown above, n. 1919, 4329, 5122, 5894, 6058, 6481-6486, 6490, 7004, 7007), and that the Divine Providence regards what is eternal (n. 6491) (Arcana Coelestia 8478).

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     So the message of why worship in Jerusalem is prescribed whereas worship in other high places is denounced becomes clear. From a state of love and wisdom, we are able to appreciate all moments of life as precious gifts from God. We know that all things are ever leading in series towards the goal of the eternal happiness and wellbeing of all souls. Time, space and the phenomena therein are increasingly irrelevant to our state of wellbeing, peace and joy because we see and rely on the underlying current of the Lord's love in all things.

     But in the absence of wisdom and love, we feel a certain desperation for happiness and we search it out in ephemeral experiences. The problem with all temporal experiences is that after a time, they subside. The higher the time-based experience we have, the more low and dull other experiences seem. We end up unable to appreciate non-so-called "peak" experiences. Without appreciation, we rush through more and more moments of our lives just so we can arrive at an imaginary future event. We may drudge through an entire work week with resentment, looking forward to the weekend. We are created for a much fuller experience than this.

     By prescribing worship in Jerusalem alone, the Lord is urging us to transcend the ups and downs of our personal opinions on the events of our lives. He is inviting us to enter into a state of consciousness in which we, like a little child, appreciate all experiences in the here and now. He invites us to see all moments as holy, laden with the presence of the Lord. Thus our "high place" is not an event, but is derived from the center of our consciousness and remains constant in all events. We can now clean the dishes with total contentment.

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No task is too mundane or too grand. There is no eagerly awaited final destination. There is just being present with the Divine in the here and now:

     "...means follow in succession, one kind after another, from early childhood to the final period of a person's life, and after that to eternity...Later effects of results become in succession means. And because this continues to eternity, there is no final, or last concluding one...

     "...[A]ll who think of salvation in terms of life think... of the means of salvation into which and by which the Lord operates in accordance with the laws of His Divine providence, thus by which the Lord leads a person out of pure mercy" (Divine Providence 335.2, 339)

     These quotes are telling us that heaven isn't only a place we end up, but a way of viewing the everyday moments of life. "The kingdom of heaven is within."

     One of the underlying factors in the erection of many shrines in high places was the separation of the northern tribes from Judah. The kings of the northern tribes didn't want their subjects going to Jerusalem in Judah. It would have been a loss in prestige, money and power. By setting up high place worship, their subjects could remain in the land along with their loyalty and money.

     The tribe of Judah, of which Jerusalem was the capital, represents the celestial or loving aspect of our being. The other tribes which became Samaria represent the spiritual or intellectual aspect of our being (Arcana Coelestia 4815.2). When our consciousness rests in love, we sense the holiness of life, and we also see that the Lord is the Master of all things: "These alone know and believe that the Divine Providence of the Lord is in everything both in general and in particular, nay, is in the most minute things of all" (ibid.).

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     But when consciousness retreats from love and dwells in the intellect, we have the sensation of being our own master, a sensation that many people enjoy. This is like the separation of the northern tribes from the tribe of Judah. To retain a sense of self-mastery, people are willing to distance themselves from believing and sensing that the Lord is in all moments. We gain a sense of independence from the Lord, and so sense of self mastery it is true, but our sense of awe and joy are greatly diminished. From this impoverished state of mind, one is forced to search out peak experiences in temporal events, just as the northern tribes had to worship in the unsanctified high places.

     An inevitable consequence of growing out of childhood is an increased intellect and sense of self-mastery. Consciousness leaves behind the awe and wonder of childhood and begins to seek its own gain in temporal phenomena. But the Lord's design is that we may one day enter the Holy City New Jerusalem state of mind. This is in many ways like Eden, in that a verdant paradise is present, but it is better than Eden. Once there, we never have to leave. It includes walls that prevent all harm from entering. It includes streets of gold, clear as crystal and there is perpetual daylight there.

     Access to that state of mind is through gates of pearl. Pearls are made over a long period of time as a living oyster attempts to reduce the irritation of a grain of sand by coating it with layer after layer of a substance which hardens into a beautiful white and rainbow filled pearl. The relationship between the sand and the oyster is like the inherent tension in being alive-the tension between what we want life to be like and what life is actually like. To relieve the tension many of us try to alter reality to suit our personal desires. We find that this doesn't work. Even if we obtain all that we desire, we find we are still unsatisfied. This is because self-based desires are temporal and so satisfaction cannot last.

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The inherent tension of life still remains. However, we have now gained several layers of pearly life experience which allows us to move forward. Most of us then spend time trying to alter or regenerate ourselves. We may have some successes, but if we are honest with ourselves we'll find that we simply aren't up to the job. Again, we've gained necessary and useful layers of the pearl. Finally, we come to realize that the Lord alone is able to save us from our own insanity of selfishness. We see that it is impossible for the self to transcend the self. We need Divine help. We are getting close to a completed pearl! It isn't that we stop attempting to live according to the Lord's words, but now we are living from an awareness that any and all progress is achieved by none other than the Lord Himself. Now our eyes are wide open. We see the Lord is the All in all. He is the motivation within, prompting us to good efforts. He is in all circumstances, every one of which serves as a spring board for spiritual progress. He is leading all things from within and without!

     We are back to a childlike awe, wonder and appreciation for all things. In all things we see the Lord. The gates of pearl are "acknowledgment and knowledge of the Lord" which, to paraphrase: unite all the ideas of truth and good into one and usher people into the New Jerusalem state of mind (Apocalypse Revealed 916). The streets of pure gold are our new found ability to, without judgment, love others purely and want nothing in return. These streets are clear as crystal. This means that our communication with others is full of truth and not polluted with selfishness. There is a clear River of Life within this state of mind. Our perception of the Lord's stream of providence is lucid. From that River grow the Trees of Lives. We see the unity of our life with all lives in the Lord's One Life. He is the vine or trunk, we are the branches. These Trees offer delicious fruits in all seasons. Our spiritual food is to do the Lord's will: love others.

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In seeing the Lord in all things, we can't help but love others in tangible ways. The leaves are for the healing of the nations. The love we are now able to communicate and the words which arise from our new way of seeing life can't help but facilitate the healing of others and society. For in the end, we are all one in the Gorand Human. When one person is healed, we are all healthier.

     So how do we tear down the high places which block us from worshipping in the New Jerusalem and prevent us from resting like a little child with joy and wonder in the Lord's providence?

     Meditate on what we are doing in the here and now. When we work, drive or prepare, we remain attentive, appreciative and even reverent in the here and now. We don't rush. We don't allow ourselves to worry about the future or dwell in the past. When we are with others, we give them our full attention.

     Meditate on the Lord. We spend time every day focusing on the fact that the Lord is in charge of reality and our own being. He is in the most minute details of all that is. He is wholly good. He is completely wise. He is all powerful. We can trust Him. Daily focus on this fact melts away fear of life and the need to grasp at particular temporal experiences. Once we trust in the Lord, even if what happens isn't what we had hoped for, we remain content and without fear. We know that the Lord is still in charge, that He is still loving, and that He is still wise. Thus the irritating grain of sand that plagued us our entire lives is now gone.

     We learn to accept the Lord's help in all ways. Once we realize that each moment is laden with the Lord, we become receptive to instructions and improvements from the Lord regardless of the medium. We accept help from others.

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We accept frustration as a teacher and sorrow as a guide. All experiences and all people are the Lord's guidance in our lives.

     Just as Josiah tore down the high places, so the practice of these things will tear down our dependence on specific transient experiences and cause us to live more and more in the moment with awe and appreciation. We will be graced with joy and peace. We will become conduits of the Lord's healing love and truth. We will be forever in that high place, the New Jerusalem, with a wonderful view and with the refreshing wind of the Spirit blowing through our lives. We will be as a little child again and so given entrance to heaven. Praise be to the Lord, for life is good!
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     But in the New Church ...it is permitted with the understanding to approach and penetrate all its secrets, and also to support them from the Word. The reason is that its doctrines are a series of truths revealed by the Lord through the Word; and proving them by rational argument causes the understanding to be opened up above more and more. This lifts it into the light enjoyed by the angels of heaven; and that light is in essence truth, and it makes the acknowledgment of the Lord as the God of heaven and earth shine out in all its glory. This is what the inscription 'NOW IT IS PERMITTED' over the door means; and the removal of the curtain of the shrine in front of the cherub has the same meaning. It is a rule in the New Church that falsities shut off the understanding, and truths open it up. ....'What is written here,' he replied, 'is: FROM NOW ON ENTER INTO THE MYSTERIES OF THE WORD WHICH HAVE SO FAR BEEN HIDDEN: FOR EACH ONE OF ITS TRUTHS IS A MIRROR IN WHICH WE SEE THE LORD.' True Christian Religion 508:5, 6

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REVELATION 2009

REVELATION              2009


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     Part 1

     BY REV. DR. ANDREW M. T. DIBB

     It is no mean feat to read the book of Revelation. John's jumble of visions leaves the reader with more questions than answers. John wrote down the things he saw and heard while he was in the spirit, but he did not pass on any clue as to what these things might mean or why they need to be known. There is no apparent rhyme or reason why they follow the sequences they do or how many of them relate to each other.

     For most of the past two thousand years Christians have puzzled over the work. Disagreement over its canonicity left it to be included as the very last of the books of the Bible. Even Martin Luther advocated leaving it out and forgetting about it. The tide only turned in the nineteenth century when literal Biblical scholarship brought it back to the public mind, if not to their understanding, with prophecies of a coming last judgment and the end of the world. Revelation looms large today as part of the concepts of the "last times" and the millennium, which are so popular amongst fundamentalist Christians. Although it is not the only source of ideas about how, why and when the last Judgment will take place, Revelation is certainly a major one.

     The fact that Revelation describes a "last judgment" is not in dispute. Rather the question revolves around the nature of the judgment it describes. Is it really about the Romans? About Hitler or Stalin? About the United States and Russia. About Islam? All these ideas have been put forward and defended by various advocates of different schools of interpretation. Passages, verses, images have been used over and over again to illustrate or explain some person or event. Surely Revelation does not speak to all these things. So what is it all about and why do we need to know it?

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     The Writings deal extensively with the book of Revelation. The two books, Apocalypse Explained and Apocalypse Revealed give a whole new interpretation of Revelation. The Doctrine moves beyond the purely literal message of the book, which forms the foundation of most interpretation, to the "spiritual" or "internal sense." In New Church theology the Word is written in correspondences, and as these are applied to the stories and vision of the Old and New Testaments, it becomes clear that the literal stories are "the base, support and containment" of the internal senses.

     Both Apocalypse Explained and Apocalypse Revealed expound the hidden meanings of Revelation. They lay open the correspondences so that John's visions take on new, fuller meanings that relate to human regeneration (Apocalypse Explained) or the history of the Christian Church (Apocalypse Revealed). Of course there are tremendous overlaps between these things, and neither book has the exclusive reserve on the major theme. This reflection focuses on the exposition of Revelation in the Apocalypse Revealed, following the progression of the Christian Church through the process of judgment. It is not my intention to study the correspondences of the various visions; rather I will explore the structure of Revelation to show that it moves in an orderly progression which, in reflection, is remarkably familiar to all of us.

     It is difficult, if not impossible, to see the structure in the book of Revelation from the letter itself. Clearly it talks about judgment, and the symbols of judgment are all there. Broadly the book follows a path from the initial vision of the Lord in the midst of the seven lamp stands, to God as judge, and so on to judgment, culminating in the dragon, bound in chains, being cast into the abyss. With the dragon's removal come the individual judgments as people stand before God's throne, Book of Life in hand, to be judged to life or to death.

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The work closes with the Holy City New Jerusalem descending from heaven with the promise of no more fears, sorrow or death. Peace comes at last.

     The various stories, many of them frightening, most of them baffling, are arranged on this basic framework. The difficulty facing the reader is what all these things mean in context. Here the internal sense, as given in Apocalypse Revealed helps tremendously: the correspondences open the inner meaning of the vision, and overall the book of Revelation becomes clearer.

     If the book of Revelation is a challenge, the Apocalypse Revealed is no less so, although on a different level. While it appears very similar to Arcana Coelestia, Apocalypse Revealed is quite different. The Arcana takes time periodically to explain the reasons behind the correspondences. At times, very usefully, there is an explanation of the larger picture, making it easier to follow. The Apocalypse Revealed uses a far greater economy of words. The correspondences are shorter, more simply put, and without the elaboration of the Arcana. Most importantly, however, the reader is left to figure out the overall story line and to work out the logic of the progression towards judgment.

     The essential framework is relatively simple: The Lord alone can judge. First there is a general exploration of the state of all Christians who had lived from the time of the Lord's advent to the middle of the eighteenth century. Then there is a more detailed exploration, first of the Protestants, then of the Roman Catholics (Apocalypse Revealed does not detail with other Christians.) Finally there is a judgment, followed by peace in the form of the New Jerusalem.

     This structure presented in the Apocalypse Revealed is superimposed on the visions. But it is still not clear how the logic works; and yet in an occasion as important as the last judgment of 1757, there must be logic. It must be present in the literal sense of Revelation and the internal sense of the Apocalypse.

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It seems that in giving people the utilitarian exposition in Apocalypse Revealed the Lord is inviting people to "enter with the understanding into the mysteries of faith" (True Christian Religion 508).

"Law and Order"

     Many people struggle to understand this book of the Word. Study after study, reading after reading often leads to an almost recitable faith, while true understanding remains elusive. The only way to translate knowledge into understanding is an epiphany, an "Aha" moment when the disconnected pieces of the puzzle of our understanding click together and we see things in a new light. This happened to me one night as I watched an episode of the TV show "Law and Order."

     Law and Order is one of the longest running shows on television, but it holds people's attention. Close scrutiny shows that each episode follows a basic formula:

     1. A crime is committed.

     2. Detectives examine the crime scene; they interview witnesses and develop a list of suspects.

     3. The detective work becomes more intense. They narrow the field of suspects and check alibis and evidence. Finally they make a judgment.

     4. At this point the District Attorney and his staff take over. They write their case against the crime and plan their prosecution.

     5. The scene switches to the courtroom. Damning evidence is produced, and witnesses are cross-examined for inconsistencies. Final arguments sum up the case.

     6. Finally the jury delivers its verdict and the accused is either exonerated or sent to prison.

     7. The last scene usually concludes with the District Attorney and his staff in a brief post-mortem session.

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     It is understandable if, at this point, the reader may ask what a slick, formulaic television show has to do with the last judgment. The answer is everything. The formula of a crime and its resolution is close to identical to the hidden structure in the Apocalypse Revealed and so lives in the very DNA of the book of Revelation. This should not come as a surprise: all things in this world are effects of things in the next. Crimes, spiritual and natural, must be solved, it makes sense that the process would not only be similar, but would work on a grand scale, as in the last judgment, on an individual level, as in a criminal caught and freed, and on a personal level in our own repentance.

     Most basically put, comparing the events of the last judgment as shown in the Apocalypse Revealed to a crime show means pointing out the similarities and differences. Since the primary differences lie in the mechanics of the spiritual and natural worlds, I will not focus on them. It needs simply to be noted that the last judgment happened in the spiritual world. It was a spiritual judgment of a kind we cannot do here.

     Difficulties aside, the similarities are enormous. Both begin with a concept of law. In "Law and Order" the laws are assumed, it is against the law to commit murder, and, if it were not so, the show would never take place. There is also the assumption of other laws, Miranda Rights and the rules of court, for example. Although it may not be the obvious central focus of the first half of "Law and Order," the law is always paramount in directing the work of the detectives.

     Revelation begins with a similar assumption. John never questions the Lord's existence, His justice or His right to judge. Those are woven into the fabric of Revelation from the very beginning to the very end. As the law in "Law and Order" directs every move the detectives and lawyers make, so the Lord is intimately involved in every facet of the last judgment.

     Built upon this initial assumption, the judgment can proceed.

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Judgment in law is only necessary when a crime takes place. Each television episode begins with a gruesome murder, it sets the scene and the story line proceeds from there. While the book of Revelation does not describe a spiritual crime, the Apocalypse Revealed begins on exactly this note. The victim is the Christian Church, slowly murdered over the centuries by the theology of those who either purposefully or misguidedly twisted the church's understanding away from the truth. The overall "crime" of Christianity is laid before us in the opening passages of Apocalypse Revealed, first by the Roman Catholic and then the Protestant.

The Crime

     If one is to understand the Last Judgment, and the process by which it took place, one must begin with the corpse. Crime Scene Investigators spend a great deal of time gathering forensic evidence that will, in time, aid the detectives in finding the culprit, and the lawyers in bringing him or her to justice. So too Apocalypse Revealed begins with a detailed survey of Roman Catholic and Protestant theology. Consider the following introductions to the sections:

     "Since Babylon, which is the Roman Catholic Religion, is also treated of in the Apocalypse, chapters xvii, and xviii, and xix, in the beginning of their explanation, its doctrinal things must be laid open, and in the following order: of Baptism, the Eucharist and Holy Super, Masses, Repentance, Justification, Purgatory, The Seven Sacraments, The Saints and Power" (Apocalypse Revealed 0).

     Similarly, the section on the Protestant Church opens with the words:

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     "Since the Reformed are much treated of in the Apocalypse in its spiritual sense, therefore before entering upon the explanation, their doctrinal things are also to be laid open, and in this order: Of God, of Christ the Lord, of Justification by faith, and of good works, of the Law and the Gospel, of Repentance and Confession of Original Sin, of Baptism, of the Holy Supper, of Free Agency, and of the Church" (Apocalypse Revealed 0).

     The "crime" is laid before us in their opening words. The full impact of these doctrines and how they destroyed the church only becomes apparent as the internal sense is revealed. At this point of the process, the church is lying dead, stabbed with the swords of falsity and smothered by evil. It is up to the spiritual "police force" to examine the evidence, find the culprits and turn them over to the "justice system."

The Law

     Something people take for granted but do not often reflect on is that without a law there is no crime. If there was no speed limit, there would be no speeding violations. Spiritual law is the same. The lists of false doctrines in the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches exist because they violate the essentials of Divine truth. They either present a false idea of God or of people, with disastrous effects on people's spiritual lives. Labeling these things as crimes, however, requires a person to acknowledge a higher law than mere human reason.

     The opening image of Revelation is of the Laws: John saw an image of "One like into the Son of Man." This image "signifies the Lord as to the Word, for whom that church is" (Apocalypse Revealed 44). There is, then, a Divine Law, an absolute against which human concepts of the church must be judged. This Divine law is, of course, the Word, but not only the Word in the literal sense of the Old and New Testament, but the Word as read and understood in the light of genuine truths and the internal sense.

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Every falsity of the Christian church can be defended from its literal sense, and enthusiastically so, but in the light of the internal sense they are shown for what they are.

     Yet while Truth is Divine and absolute, it is not monolithic. Variations of understanding or application come from the interaction of the Divine truth with the human mind. Each person understands truth differently from everyone else. At the same time, each person is on a path, hopefully, bringing him or her closer and closer to perfection. The messages to the seven churches of Asia are case in point. Each of those seven churches, except Philadelphia, had learned the truth but misinterpreted it. Each was given corrective truths making it possible to reconnect to the truth and progress. While there may be those who choose to ignore the messages to the seven churches, there are also those that take them to heart.

     It follows then, that while there is a Divine Truth there are also non-fatal falsities that can be corrected. In terms of crime this relates to motive. Two victims may end up dead, killed by two perpetrators. But one may be acting from intent, the other not. This is the difference between murder and manslaughter. Aside from discovering who did the crime, the detectives also need to determine whether the crime was intentional or not.

     At the beginning of an investigation, however, it is not known whether the crime was by intention or by accident. That remains to be seen. The investigation, therefore, cannot rest in the individual understanding of the detective. As the seven churches are perfected by reference to the Word, so the detective needs to constantly refer back, not to his own understanding of the law, but to the law itself.

     The detachment of absolute law from our individual interpretations is highlighted in the second sequence of visions: John saw a throne in heaven, "and He that sat there was in appearance like a jasper and sardius stone; and there was a rainbow about the throne in appearance like an emerald." (Revelation 4:3).

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This image, and all the details following it, describes the qualities from the Lord that are present in and guide the Last Judgment, much as a constitution, as the highest law of the land, is present in and guides a criminal investigation. The symbols in this vision are all directed toward judgment: the throne, being the seat of power and judgment, the stone-like quality of the one who sat on it, being the truths of the Word from which judgment is to be made. The color of the stone, red and white, show that truths will be applied with love and with wisdom. The intention of the last judgment is less about finding and punishing the guilty, but more about finding and rescuing potential further victims.

     The opening chapters of Revelation are the foundation of the structure that is to come. They provide the spiritually legal backdrop to the last judgment, just as the constitution and civil laws provide the environment in which human detectives may do their work.

     To Be Continued.

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WORD OF HEAVEN: DO WE SEE WHAT ANGELS SEE? 2009

WORD OF HEAVEN: DO WE SEE WHAT ANGELS SEE?       Editor       2009


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     We know many teachings about the Word in heaven compared to the Word we have on earth. First we know that "the same Word which is in the world is also in heaven" (Apocalypse Explained 596). Why should the Word be different if it stems from the Same Lord God? Secondly, the Word is essentially Divine Truth: "The Word in its essence is Divine truth, and from it is all heavenly wisdom, both with men and with angels; for the Word was dictated by the Lord, and what is dictated by the Lord passes through all the heavens in order and terminates with man" (Heaven and Hell 259). So there are levels, degrees of Divine Truth, which is accommodated to angels and to men: "it is adapted both to the wisdom of angels and the intelligence of men." (Ibid). Again: "The Word that was dictated by the Lord passed across the heavens of His celestial kingdom and the heavens of His spiritual kingdom, and thus came to the man by means of whom it was written; and therefore the Word in its first origin is purely Divine" (Apocalypse Revealed 959).

     Since the "Word they have there" in heaven (Heavenly Doctrine 7), is the "internal or spiritual sense of the Word" we have on earth, i.e. the Bible, and since this "is the same as the doctrine they have in heaven" (ibid.), we see here a continual identification of one thing with another. A = B = C, therefore A = C. The spiritual sense of our Sacred Scriptures is the Doctrine in heaven, which is the Word, which is Heavenly Doctrine, which is "conveyed in this book" (ibid.).

     But what does the Word look like in heaven? There too it exists in written format: "The existence of writing in the heavens is a provision of the Lord for the sake of the Word; for the Word in its essence is Divine truth, and from it is all heavenly wisdom, both with men and with angels" (Heaven and Hell 259).

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This Word in heaven, it is reiterated, "is the same Word" as we have on earth, "but its natural sense, which is the sense of the letter with us, does not exist in heaven, but only the spiritual sense, which is its internal sense. Angels know this writing without training or a teacher, it being implanted in them like their speech" (ibid. cf. 236).

     So the Word in heaven does not have a natural sense! It is the meaning, directly. Angels do not know who Abraham, Noah or Japheth are: "The angels do not know of these persons, nor perceive anything else than the Ancient Church; and the interior angels do not even perceive the church, but the faith of that church" (Arcana Coelestia 1025). They see instead what is meant by them. Thus as soon as the literal Scriptural Word is read by people on earth, angels see the words in angelic writing which correspond to the Scripture: "When a man reads the Word and perceives it according to the sense of the letter or the outer sense, the angels perceive it according to the internal or spiritual sense; for all the thought of angels is spiritual while the thought of man is natural" (Heaven and Hell 306). The angelic wisdom is so well contained in our Sacred Scripture, that it "shines forth" as wisdom, contained in each single word of our earthly Word (Heaven and Hell 310).

     How does the Word appear in heaven? "As regards the Word in heaven, it is written in a spiritual style, which differs entirely from a natural style. The spiritual style consists solely of letters, each of which contains a meaning, and there are points above the letters which exalt the meaning" (Sacred Scripture 71). That is how simple angels understand that Word "in simplicity, and the wise in wisdom." They all see the same letters, but see more or less depth in the truth from the "points above and within the letters which exalt the meaning."

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There are also "various curves and spirals above and within the letters, which are peculiar to the celestial kingdom," so those take care of the celestial angels seeing their level of meaning (De Verbo 24). One angel would get more out of that spiral than another!

     Where in this sequence do the Writings fit? Are the Writings, having on earth such titles as "Arcana Coelestia" and "Heavenly Doctrine," the same as the Word in heaven? The very heart-food of so many New Church people round the world is to accept the Writings as the Word of Heavenly Doctrine, constituting the Second Coming of the Lord. The Writings are all the pages written by Swedenborg from the early 1740s to 1772, under Divine enlightenment "while he was reading the [Schmidius copy of the Latin] Word." All of the Writings began as drawn from and confirmed by the Sacred Scriptures, by Divine enlightenment. The General Church and the Academy movement heralding its arrival in 1896, has banked so much on such a statement as "The Writings are the Word of the Lord in His Second Coming," that it has become a proverbial "conclusion" which readers of the Writings reach on their own.

     How can what is angelic be transferred into print? Swedenborg actually kept an angelic phrase he had just spoken to angels in his mouth while transferring back from his second or spiritually awakened state, until he could return to his bodily or first state, which he was in when actually writing the Writings. He meant to transfer that angelic phrase into print, on paper. His finding? "There were no words available, and not even ideas in my thinking, by means of which I could express it" (De Verbo 3.2). Yet, a few sentences later he says, it can be done: He lists all the subjects angels discuss, such as "redemption, regeneration, providence" etc., and although "these could not be spoken of or described in any spiritual or celestial words, ... none the less they could be described by the words of a natural language so as to allow them to be grasped rationally.

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I was told that no Divine secrets exist which cannot be perceived and expressed naturally too, although in a more generalized and imperfect form" (De Verbo 3.4) The view of truth we get from the Writings is thus the same view of it the angels see, which is beyond human language. But it has been put into our human language, which is why we have titles of the Writings "Angelic wisdom concerning..." It is like "thought" which is free of language, but is in accord with the spiritual language of heaven. Everyone who dies comes into this language automatically.

     The Writings often refer to the transcending nature of how angels see truth, and how limited our view of it must be. Take e.g. Arcana Coelestia 1756, "All these matters presented above are those which in general are embodied in the internal sense of this chapter; but the whole train of thought, and its beauty, cannot be seen when every single thing is explained according to the meaning of the words, as they would be if they were comprehended in a single idea."

     The "single idea" is how the angels see it. However, the Writings do bring all the scattered meanings together "in a single idea." The scattered meanings of the words, i.e. the bits of internal sense which follow "is signified by" are brought together, and then it is doctrine. "Doctrine...is what the internal sense teaches" (Arcana Coelestia 10400). "The internal sense is doctrine itself' (Arcana Coelestia 9380). "The spiritual sense of the Word is the same as the Doctrine they have in heaven" (Heavenly Doctrine 7). "The internal sense is" or "contains" "the very doctrine of the church" (Arcana Coelestia 9025, 9430).

     This bringing together takes place in the passages immediately following the expository passages, in the Arcana, the Apocalypse Explained and Revealed. The whole train of thought beautifully drawn together into a single idea happens repeatedly all through the Writings.

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Here they point it out again: "...all the separate details are seen together within one complete idea, or are perceived as one complete mental picture, as is done by those who have the internal sense and who at the same time dwell in heavenly light from the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia 2343). Again: when "... their contents are diffuse, the line of thought which runs through them cannot be seen unless they are viewed collectively as one entire idea, and unless at the same time one moves one's attention away from the sense of the letter" (Arcana Coelestia 3074).

     But on at least one occasion the "diffuse contents" are brought into a unified whole. This passage first goes over the scattered part:

     "And Jehovah appeared unto him, and said, signifies thought from the Divine; 'go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land of which I tell thee,' signifies that he should not go down to memory-knowledge, but to rational things, which being enlightened by the Divine are appearances of truth..." etc. (Arcana Coelestia 3366). We usually skim past such passages, while others no doubt delight in walking carefully through the maze. Anyhow, the meanings are "diffused" and "scattered."

     But next comes all these "meanings" brought into one single doctrinal statement: "That this is the sense cannot be seen from the first exposition wherein everything is scattered, that is to say, from what was said in n. 3366- that there was thought from the divine not to go down to memory-knowledge, but to rational things which when enlightened by the divine are appearances of truth, and that from these would come instruction from the divine, and increase, thus good and truth, which are spiritual, whereby there is conjunction of the Lord with the things that are in His Word' (Arcana Coelestia 3376).

     This italicized part, however, is the unified way angels see it. It is a unified statement of doctrine. This is how the angels see it, i.e. "in a most beautiful series and connection."

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It is seeing the same light of heaven as variegated through differently colored translucent gems (cf. Apocalypse Explained 1087:2). The light of the Word of Heaven, seen in letters with curves and points, is the same light as we have in the Word of Heavenly Doctrine, seen as rationally comprehensible statements of natural language.

     Other examples of "heavenly doctrine" drawn together into a most beautiful series and connection from scattered snippets, are found in Arcana Coelestia 3074:

     "Truth is raised up from those facts, out of the natural man into the rational man and becomes rational truth, which in the Lord's case was Divine. In His case it was effected by an influx of Divine Love into the Human, from which came the affection for truth having innocence within it. That influx threw light on the facts present in the natural man, and the truths there, which were to be raised up into the Rational and here joined to the Good of Divine love, became visible."

     Angels see the identical spiritual sense, but in their own spiritual script and by hearing it in angelic language, which is impossible to write or hear on earth. And angels also have the Word with representations as well. Birds and animals, hills and rivers would come into view to represent the same truths. We get those too, in the memorabilia which "illustrate" the Word. These representations from heaven are mentioned all through the Bible: "From these and many other passages in the Word, it is evident that the things which exist in the spiritual world have appeared to many, before and after the Lord's Advent. Why should it be surprising for them to appear also now, when the Church is beginning and the New Jerusalem is coming down from the Lord out of heaven?" (Conjugial Love 26e, True Christian Religion 851e).

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     The angelic language comes within a stone's throw of our access, for "the internal sense of the Word...is in perfect agreement with the universal language which angels use, that is, with the spiritual speech which is expressive of their thought" (Arcana Coelestia 4387). Reading the spiritual sense aka doctrine, thus accords with the angelic language! The closest we can get to the angelic language here on earth, or to the "thought of their speech," is via the internal sense of the Word, which equals doctrine. The Word in heaven and the Writings on earth, while having totally different texts, would also just "sound different" (Arcana Coelestia 8862, True Christian Religion 280). The Word of heaven has no external sense, while the Word of Heavenly Doctrine is rational wording conveying the same "wine" as the Word of heaven. We sip the same wine. We share the same heavenly doctrines, which thus "consociate" angels and men, meant by John not being allowed to bow to the angel. Angels and men are brethren in the Doctrines! (Apocalypse Revealed 818). Thus, with doctrine, we talk the same language of the angels. We think along together.

     We are consociated with the angels, the same Heavenly Doctrine being the mediating factor. That is why the giving of the Writings is both called a miracle surpassing all miracles (Invitation 52, Coronis LI) and also "not a miracle at all": "These revelations [= the Writings] are not miracles; for every man is in the spiritual world as to his spirit, without separation from his body in the natural world; I [Swedenborg], however, with a certain separation, though only as to the intellectual part of my mind" (Coronis Miracles V). Swedenborg's intellect had a "certain separation" from his body, effected by the Lord in order to accomplish the task of revealing the Word of Heavenly Doctrine. This constitutes the Second Coming by the descent of the New Jerusalem, which is the "New Church as to doctrine in the form of a city" (Apocalypse Revealed 896). That is why copies of the Writings were also seen in the World Of Spirits:

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"I looked, and behold it was the book written by means of me called Angelic Wisdom Concerning Divine Love And Wisdom, and also Concerning Divine Providence" (Apocalypse Revealed 875:15); and at another time he saw "the Arcana Coelestia" (True Christian Religion 461:8).

     So where in the sequence do the Writings fit? The "same Word" exists in both places, and the Writings express the Word of heaven, as self-evident truths. When they are raised into heaven, they are no different from the Word of Heaven. The Writings on earth are the same thoughts or ideas that angels have. Although those truths are perfectly in accord with their angelic language which is ineffable here on earth, the ideas themselves are 'effable' when put into rational terminology. No heavenly secret can escape full expression.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     Because by angels in the Word are meant Divine truths, therefore men through whom Divine truths are made known are sometimes called angels, as in Malachi:

     "The priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth, because he is the angel of Jehovah" (ii. 7).

     [The priest] is said to be the angel of Jehovah, because he teaches Divine truth; not that he is the angel of Jehovah, but the Divine truth which he teaches is. It is also known in the church that no one has Divine truth from himself.

     [10] It is said that by "angels" in the Word, in its spiritual sense, Divine truths proceeding from the Lord are meant, because these constitute the angels; when angels utter these truths, they speak not from themselves, but from the Lord. The angels not only know that this is so, but they also perceive it. Apocalypse Explained 130:8, 10

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MARK TWAIN ON HEAVEN 2009

MARK TWAIN ON HEAVEN       Rev. CARL TH. ODHNER       2009


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     NEW CHURCH LIFE, EDITORIAL BY
     REV. CARL TH. ODHNER, MARCH, 1908

     Mark Twain's story in Harper's Magazine for December and January, entitled "Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven," is a very amusing and very surprising adaptation of certain features of Swedenborg's Memorable Relations. The captain, a tough old salt, after extraordinary adventures tending to show the immensity of heaven, at length arrives at the gate of his own section, and is promptly furnished with "a harp and a hymnbook, cloud-bank," the captain says: "Now, this is according to the promises; I've been having my doubts, but now I am in heaven, sure enough! I gave my palm-branch a wave or two, for luck, and then I tautened up harp-strings and struck in . . . . " "By and by I quit performing, and judged I'd take a rest     After about sixteen or seventeen hours, during which I played and sung a little, now and then,-always the same time, because I didn't know any other,-I laid down my harp and began to fan myself with my palm-branch."

     Finally, "dog-tired," he concluded to "knock off and calling it half a day," got some enthusiastic newcomers to hold all his things, and met an old friend from the earth who tells him that "people take the figurative language of the Bible and the allegories for literal, and the first thing they ask for when they get here is a halo and a harp, and so on. Nothing that is harmless and reasonable is refused a body here, if he asks it in the right spirit. So they are outfitted with these things without a word. They go and sing and play just about one day, and that's the last you'll ever see them in the choir. They don't need anybody to tell them that that sort of thing wouldn't make a heaven - at least not a heaven that a sane man could stand a week and remain sane. That cloud-bank is placed where the noise can't disturb the old inhabitants, and so there ain't any harm in letting everybody get up there and cure himself as soon as he comes."

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     "Now, you just remember this - heaven is as blissful and lovely as it can be; but it is just the busiest place you ever heard of.

     "There ain't any idle people here after the first day. Singing hymns and waving palm-branches through all eternity is pretty when you hear about it in the pulpit, but it's as poor a way to put in valuable time as a body could contrive. It would just make a heaven of warbling ignoramuses, don't you see? Eternal Rest sounds comforting in the pulpit, too. Well, try it once, and see how heavy time will hang on your hands."

     The above is a sample of the style and the ideas, which, no doubt, will be new and startling to a good many people. In the whole story there is nothing of the writer's usual touches of irreverence (unless the reference to "an old bald-headed angel by the name of Sandy McWilliams" be regarded as such); on the contrary, there are many passages suggestive of a tender and reverent faith. All his ideas, indeed, are not equally in harmony with New Church truths, but the story, as a whole, suggests a wide field of useful missionary work for someone who is a real Newchurchman and at the same time a real humorist.

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GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEMContact persons forPUBLIC WORSHIP AND DOCTRINAL CLASSESUNITED STATES OF AMERICA 2009 Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue              2009


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     Announcements




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     Rev. Douglas Taylor asks us who is the "strong man" who challenges us? When is our motive really spiritual? Our conscience needs an inner bond to detail our moral life.

     Rev. Dr. Andrew Dibb continues his study on the Book of Revelation, treating it as a crime scene. Who is the Detective? What does he unseal? Who are the suspects? Some good fireside "novel" reading here! Part 1 was in the October issue.

     Our friend Don Rose who was interviewed in the August New Church Life issue, is working from home. What reader of Swedenborg wrote on sleep? Here is his study on sleep, at once scholarly and appealing to a wider audience.

     Dr. Greg Baker's reflections on the future were delivered at the dedication of the Doering Science Center this September. How long have we waited for this building, how many have contributed to it? What would Grant Doering have said about it? Come, all you future College students.

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SERMON 2009

SERMON       Rev. DOUGLAS TAYLOR       2009


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     "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils " (Luke 11:21,22).

     There was once a time when most people in the Christian world revered and read the Word of God and at least tried to think and live according to it; they refrained from doing or saying certain things because God had said they should not; they did and said certain things because God had said they should. In other words, they had a kind of spiritual conscience. They read the Word and prayed daily, and participated in Divine Worship each Sunday with their neighbors, sometimes at great inconvenience.

     But in later generations there began to be a change. Many did not have such a strong spiritual conscience. They did not have such a reverence for the Word of God, nor did they read it as regularly. For various natural and worldly reasons there began to be an increasing neglect of the Word and of worship. Other things began to seem more important and more enjoyable. They still had something of a spiritual conscience, but it was dying out. It was no longer at first hand It was now a secondhand conscience, so to speak. They were simply following the fine example of their parents and ancestors.

     To all outward appearances, the actions of their lives were as good as those of their parents. They did not tell lies or deceive in other ways; they did not steal, cheat, or defraud; they did not commit adultery or indulge in pornography; they were not violent or murderous in their dealings with others. Yet the soul of their life was sickly even to the point of death; their spiritual life was ebbing away;

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they did not have the same source, the same spiritual motivation for their life as their parents had; they had very little personal spiritual conscience. The idea that they should shun evils because they were sins was losing its hold, because the concept of sin was waning.

     In the next generation there was a further decline. With many their spiritual life died out altogether, and with it every vestige of a spiritual conscience. Their actions were still good, but there was absolutely no spiritual motivation for them. They had descended to the merely moral plane. They were moral in the broad sense of that term; that is, they lived according to all the moral virtues -honesty, integrity, fairness, industriousness, and so on. They did not lie, steal, commit adultery, or murder, but this was not because God had said, "You shall not". They were simply following the moral standards of the community in which they lived, and these varied from community to community. It was the voice of public opinion that they heeded, not the Voice of God as set out in His Divine Word. They were not concerned with motives or with salvation from hellish feelings and thoughts. They were concerned only with gaining a good reputation and preserving it.

     With some the law of reason determined their actions. They reasoned that it was bad for society if, for example lying and stealing became the general rule. Therefore, everyone individually should refrain from lying and stealing, because otherwise these evils would become the general rule.

     But gradually and inevitably this moral plane, which is merely natural, has also become more and more sickly. The general moral conscience that once held society together is disappearing. The pressure of negative public opinion is no longer as powerful as once it was. Increasingly the only force that keeps society in order is the legal code. Whereas the loss of honor and reputation used to be an effective deterrent, this can no longer be taken for granted.

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That leaves law enforcement as the only means of preserving order. The fear of punishment is fast becoming the only bond that holds society together and prevents it from tumbling into chaos.

     That is why there is such a noticeable growth in stern notices with their increasingly severe penalties. We now need notices that say, for instance, "Don't park in the driveway" or "Don't park in front of the garage" or "Don't block the intersection". Whereas most people once had a spiritual conscience that made them abhor doing anything to their neighbors that they would not like done to themselves, for the sole reason that God had said we were to love our neighbor as ourselves; and whereas most people at one time had a moral conscience that caused them to sheer away from harming others; it now requires the external pressure of imminent legal penalties before an alarming number of people will even think of the welfare of their neighbor or the common good.

     Consequently, if at any time the external bonds of the legal code are relaxed or if the law cannot be adequately enforced, as in the case of a riot or a police strike, then chaos reigns. It is literally true that "all hell breaks loose". This happens whenever and wherever human nature is allowed to act freely without restraint. It is not confined to one country or one race or one era. It is a universal phenomenon.

     This situation should not surprise anyone who is at all familiar with the Heavenly Doctrine of the New Jerusalem. It is only to be expected. After all, it is a familiar teaching that people are of the same character as they are inwardly, as they are in their minds, no better and no worse. The mind is the person, not the body, not what appears outwardly in the world. If the mind is ruled by good affections and true thoughts, that is, if there is the inner bond of a spiritual conscience, then the outer bonds, the external restraints such as fear of the law, or of punishment and the loss of life, or the loss of a good reputation, or of wealth, these outer restraints do not feel like bonds.

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People with an inner bond of conscience do not even think about such external restraints, because their feelings and thoughts, and as a result, their lives are ruled from the inside not the outside. No matter how much they may be provoked and tempted, they would never "follow a multitude to do evil" (Exodus 23:2).

     The opposite is the case with people who have no such inner bond. They are controlled only by the external pressure of outside bonds. This can be seen dramatically when they come into the spiritual world after death, when those external restraints are taken away. We read that "the taking away of external bonds is accomplished in the other life by the removal of the good spirits who had been joined to them. When these are removed, they can no longer be in any pretence of what is good, just, and honorable, but are such as they had been inwardly in the world, that is, such as they had been in thought and will, which they had there concealed from others; and then they desire nothing else than to do evil" (Arcana Coelestia 6914:4).

     As we all know, our minds, as distinct from our brains, are in the spiritual world and are subject to spiritual influences, just as our bodies, being in the world of nature, are subject to natural forces. But we are free to choose whether we wish to have our minds ruled by heavenly or hellish influences in our daily life.

     The spirits of hell continually inject evil feelings, from which come false thoughts, that twist and extinguish true thoughts and good feelings. However, the Lord through the angels, and with even greater tenacity than that of the hells, turns these hellish influences aside, removes them, mitigates them and moderates them (Arcana Coelestia 6213). After all, His supreme and eternal purpose is to save the human race from a hellish life and bring a heavenly state of life, and thus into heaven after death (Divine Providence 27).

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     "But," we read, "in order that the angels may be able to turn aside the influxes from hell, there must be in the person true things belonging to faith joined to goodness of life into which they may flow. These must be the plane into which they may operate" (Arcana Coelestia 6213). "The influx of the angels is especially into the conscience of mankind; there is the plane into which they operate" (Arcana Coelestia 6207).

     That is also the teaching of our text, considered inwardly in its spiritual meaning: "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace. But when a stronger than he comes upon him and overcomes him, he takes from him all his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoils" (Text).

     The "strong man, fully armed" is the natural man, or the human race as it is in itself, without any Divine or heavenly influences. It feels safe, because it is living more or less according to the mores and customs of society and according to the legal code. It is fully armed with knowledge of these things and delights in them. These are its goods.

     The one "stronger than he," who is quite capable of overcoming him, is, of course, the Lord, God Almighty. The Lord and His angels or messengers are quite capable of taking away his trust in the armor of mere morality and mere obedience to the law, by showing how empty and powerless these things are without an inner bond, the bond of a spiritual conscience. The Lord and His messengers are also quite capable of identifying good and helpful natural delights and their truths or techniques and dividing them, separating out those that are not good and helpful.

     So the message for the world at large is this: "You cannot cast out the evils that are increasingly bedeviling and destroying the world by calling on Beelzebub, by merely human, natural means. You cannot reform the world by appeals to a moral code only or by law enforcement. You cannot have an honorable, reliable, honest policeman on every corner.

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You are actually powerless without the inner power of a spiritual conscience. Beelzebub is really, deep down, in league with hell. You simply cannot cast out hell by hell. "How can Satan cast out Satan?"

     Society at large desperately needs a spiritual conscience, an inner bond, whether in this country, or that country, or the whole world. It is only because there are still some citizens who have this inner bond that any country can survive. The stronger the bond, that is, the stronger the presence of the Lord, the stronger the country.

     Only the Church-the Church specific and the Church universal-can provide that inner bond. By reason of our knowledge of the New Revelation and of the New Church based upon it, we are called, clearly called, to take part in a great mission, a great commission, to go forth into the whole world and make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all things that the Lord has commanded, remembering always that He will be with us in those efforts (Matthew 28:19,20, Mark 16:15). We are to do this not just for the sake of adding new members to our roll-book, not for our sake at all, but simply to make more and more disciples for the Lord, for His sake and theirs, for God's sake and for the sake of His world, and for heaven's sake.

     But to do this, we need to co-operate with the Lord in making true disciples of ourselves.

     In order to be true disciples we have to do what is good from the Lord, not from ourselves. We are not strong enough. We need the Lord's strength, something of His love and wisdom. To have that, we need to shun our evils simply for the reason that they are sins against Him. This opens the door for Him to come in. Thinking of Him makes Him to be present. But thinking of Him in love and humility conjoins us to Him, so that we act from His strength, which of course is far greater even than that of the totality of hell.

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Did He not conquer the hells? Does He not hold hell in subjection to Himself to eternity?

     To turn our back on our evils for any other reason than that they are sins against the Lord is not to shun them, flee away from them, and root them out. It is simply to prevent them from appearing before the world (Life 108), which is highly deceitful. It is a big cover-up job. It is as useless as attempting to cast out demons by Beelzebub. Will our natural part ever fight against our natural part? Will Satan ever fight against Satan? "Can Satan cast out Satan?" To try to shun evils, without shunning them as sins, without looking to the Lord first, is to attempt the impossible. In that case the household of our mind is divided against itself and is in great danger of falling into chaos. At best our mind will be a joyless household, full of tension, when yet the Lord wants it to be free of disunity and full of peace and inner joy.

     Living according to the moral virtues and the law of the land is not sufficient on the personal level any more than it is on the global scale. We may think we are safe and at peace if we are moral and law-abiding. We may say to ourselves: "Peace, peace, when there is no peace" (Jeremiah 6: 14). We may think we are a strong man, fully armed, armed with knowledge of the New Revelation, and armed with spiritual truths. We may think that our mind is a well-guarded palace, that our natural delights are well-protected and perhaps that they are even heavenly. But unless we are shunning our evils - our symptoms of selfishness and worldliness - as sins against the Lord, we do not have an inner bond, a spiritual conscience.

     To see what our conscience is like, let us consider what gives us the greatest delight. Let us see whether it belongs to spiritual life or natural life. But above all, let us look deeply into the household of our mind and see what we would do if there were no external restraints, no outer bond, if there was absolutely no chance whatever of our being caught and exposed, if no one else would ever know.

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Carrying out that kind of candid self-exploration will surely tell us just how strong our inner bond is. "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me and know my thoughts:. and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23,24). Amen.

Lessons: Psalm 11; Mark 3:20-27; Arcana Coelestia 1661:2-4

     The Rev. Douglas M. Taylor is now retired, but still loves to be active by preaching. The sermon of this month was preached this August. Douglas was inaugurated in 1960, ordained Pastor in 1962, serving in the Tucson Circle, then as Pastor of the Hurstville Society, in 1963. He served on the staff of Bryn Athyn Society since 1974, and in 1978 became the General Church's Director of Evangelization. In 1989 he returned to Hurstville as Pastor, and also visiting New Zealand as before. He retired in 1993, but continues to visit and serve shorter stints in his homeland, Australia.. He lives with his wife Christine (Brock) in Bryn Athyn.

[Photograph of Rev. Douglas Taylor.]

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HOURS AND YEARS WE SPEND IN SLEEP 2009

HOURS AND YEARS WE SPEND IN SLEEP       Rev. DONALD L. ROSE       2009


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     I would like to introduce some thoughts on sleep, for sleep includes a high portion of our life (isn't it a third of our lifespan?). Let us look down from a higher perspective on sleep.

Early Bible References to Sleep

     At the beginning of the Bible it is not merely said that Adam slept. It is said that God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept. And in that sleep God wrought new things. In the story of Abram it is said that when the sun was going down "a deep sleep fell upon Abram" and it was in that sleep that God communicated the promise, "You shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age."

     Abram's descendent, Jacob, was journeying alone, and came to a certain place. "And he took one of the stones of that place and put it at his head, and he lay down in that place to sleep. Then he dreamed." (Genesis 28:11, 12).

     This dream of Jacob opens a perspective on what is taking place in the kingdom of human life. He dreamed of a ladder or stairway reaching to heaven. And he beheld angels going up and coming down. The picture of angel activity changes the way we see the world in which we live. Jesus spoke to a disciple of great things that he would see. "You shall see heaven open." You shall see angels "ascending and descending" (John 1:51). How awesome this life becomes when we contemplate angels at the very gateway of human awareness. It was following sleep that Jacob came to new realization. There was a Divine presence, "and I did not know it." He exclaimed, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" (Genesis 28:17).

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Dreams From Heaven

     The Old Testament prophet, Joel, spoke of a blessed future. "Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions" (Joel 2:28).

     Does a blessed vision originate from within oneself? Or does it somehow come to us from elsewhere? Might it come from above? Might it descend from heaven? Theologian Emanuel Swedenborg believed he had answers. Among the sources of dreams are the angels above, claims Swedenborg, and he asserts that there have been for centuries upon this earth "dreams from heaven."

     In his major work, Secrets of Heaven he writes: "Dreams of that kind, just as much as visions, flow in from heaven, the difference being that dreams take place when the body is asleep but visions when it is not" (Arcana Coelestia 1975). When he said, "dreams of that kind" he was referring to dreams found in the Bible, to which we will presently refer.

     Modern studies of dreams tend to begin as it were with Sigmund Freud (who died in 1939). Shakespeare died in 1616. Here are three reminders of the subject of dreams in his dramas.

     In the Tempest: "We are such stuff as dreams are made on, and our little life Is rounded with a sleep."

     In Hamlet: "To die, to sleep; To sleep: perchance to dream: ay there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil, Must give us pause."

     In Midsummer Night's Dream: "I have had a dream, past the wit of man to say what dream it was." "The eye of man hath not seen, the ear of man hath not heard, man's hand is not able to taste, his tongue to conceive, nor his ear to report, what my dream was."

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     Shakespeare echoes the saying of the Bible, "Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him." Emanuel Swedenborg repeated this saying, observing that "few believe there is any heaven and hell, and they who believe only know that in heaven there is joy, and few among them believe that there are such things as eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and the mind has never conceived; and this although they know from the Word that amazing things were seen by the prophets, such as many things seen by John, as recorded in the Revelation" (Secrets of Heaven 4529, See 7381:2).

     In Heaven and Hell Swedenborg describes wonders he has seen and heard, and he comments. "Things like this-and infinitely more-are what people who have been in heaven are talking about when they say that they have seen what the eye has never seen, and that from the grasp of divine things conveyed to them in this connection, that they have heard what the ear has never heard" (489:5).

To Sleep, Perchance To Dream: The Heavenly Gift of Sleep

     "Love does not sleep" (Arcana Coelestia 1983).

     How shall we characterize the kingdom of God? In the Gospel of Mark the kingdom of God is portrayed or pictured by someone who would scatter seeds "and should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he knows not how" (Mark 4:27).

     The "kingdom" is likened to a procession of developments which goes on while we are awake and also while we sleep. "Kingdom" implies that someone is in charge. There is an order, even when we might only perceive chaos. There is purpose, when it might seem that there is only blind chance

     A favorite saying of Emanuel Swedenborg is that the universe is like a theater representing the kingdom of God. He makes that statement some twenty times in his theological works.

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The "theater" or stage includes nature and its phenomena and the drama of human life. Human life is punctuated by intervals of sleep. If the drama were Fiddler on the Roof, we might hear the refrain "Sunrise, sunset, Sunrise, sunset. Swiftly flow the days; seedlings turn overnight to sunflowers, blossoming even as we gaze."

     We wake, we sleep. And during those intervals of sleep shall we say that the drama of our lives is suspended or interrupted? Our conscious life takes a rest, but our life continues, and a beneficent God works within us, for "love does not sleep" (Secrets of Heaven 1983). We might even say that protection is especially vigilant in our times of sleep. As Swedenborg says at the conclusion of a paragraph in Heavenly Secrets, "God guards us with most especial care when we are asleep" (paragraph 959). In the Bible stories there are striking scenes of sleep. For example, the prophet Elijah had gone a day's journey into the wilderness. In despair he lay down under a tree and slept. Then an angel "touched him" and provided him nourishment (1 Kings 19). We will return to Biblical examples presently.

Sleep Nourishing and Healing

     Shakespeare called sleep the balm of hurt minds, and the chief nourisher in life's feast. He supplies the image of "sleep that knits up the raveled sleeve of care" (Macbeth). The Psalmist wrote: "I lie down and sleep, and I awake, for the Lord sustains me." There is sustenance, and there is simple rest.

     Masefield wrote:

     "I must go down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky,
     And all I ask is a tall ship and a star to steer her by . . .
     And all I ask is a merry yarn from a laughing fellow rover,
     And quiet sleep and a sweet dream when the long trick's over."

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We Need Times to be Restored

     Consider the following scene in the life of the disciples of Jesus. They gathered and recounted all the things that they had been doing and teaching. They were tired although perhaps not aware of their tiredness. And they were hungry, because the intensity of their work left little opportunity for meals.

     Notice what their master then said to them. "Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while" (Mark 6:31). In order to find rest, they needed a secluded place, for crowds of people continually craved their attention.

     "There were many coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat. So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves." In the boat they could have respite from the social pressures and demands on their attention. On the boat they could feel the breezes of Galilee upon their faces. They could relax. They were heading for a deserted place, but do not think that it was a desert or sandy region. No, it was a grassy spot, and the grass was green.

     Why note (in verse 39) that the grass was green? It calls to mind a verse in the most beloved of the Psalms "He makes me to lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul."

     The restoration of the soul can accompany the renewal of bodily and mental recreation. Swedenborg, who put so much emphasis on useful activity, devotes a section of one of his books to recreation. And he says in so many words that God "flows into" our recreations.

     We read of "walks and pleasant views of beautiful buildings and homes, of trees and flowers and gardens, woods and fields, people, birds and flocks." Swedenborg could not mention television! But we read of "shows of different kinds and games." We read of undertakings "which give the body exercise and divert the mind from the works of its calling."

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Swedenborg mentions recreational reading including the reading of the news in the newspapers (Charity 189).

     "Any of these diversions can recreate: shows, games, instrumental and vocal music, beauties of field and garden, and social life. Deep in them the love of being useful remains and is being renewed. The longing for one's work sets a term on the diversions and brings them to an end." And here (in Charity 193) is the saying that God has been "flowing into the diversions from heaven and bringing renewal."

     What about an inflow into us as we sleep and as we dream? Is sleeping only rest? Is a third of our life devoted to nothing but repose? That question is pressed in a challenging book published a century ago. The title of the book is The Mystery of Sleep. It is by John Bigelow.

John Bigelow's Mystery of Sleep

     The book was published in 1896. The first chapter heading is: Why do we spend one-third of our lives in sleep?- Prevalent notions fallacious.

     Thirty years later Dr. Bigelow issued a new edition, which began with a note to his readers: "In the year 1896 I gave to the public a monograph in which I endeavored to expose and unsettle, if not dispel, some popular delusions-as I regarded them-about sleep. Of these is the notion that sleep is merely a state of rest, of practical inertia of soul and body, or, at most, a periodical provision for the reparation of physical waste in the sense that a well, exhausted during the day, fills up in the house or the night. I also tried to give some reasons for my conviction that no part of our lives is consecrated to nobler or more important uses than that usually spent in sleep, or contributes more-if so much-to differentiate us from the beasts that perish."

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     In the thirty years that followed Bigelow did not find anyone propounding new insights into the subject. I will give something of the content of his book. First a little introduction to its author.

     John Bigelow was born in 1817 in Malden, New York. He studied law at Union College, graduating in 1835. In 1848 he was invited to joint ownership and editing of the Evening Post, a publication dedicated to freedom, especially the freedom of slaves. In 1861 President Abraham Lincoln appointed him to the American Consulship in Paris. In 1865 Lincoln made him Envoy to the Court of France. He skillfully handled the problems arising from Napoleon's efforts to establish an empire in Mexico. In Paris he discovered the manuscript of the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. This he edited and published and promoted.

     In 1875 he was elected New York Secretary of State. His published books include France and the Confederate Navy, 1868, and A Life of Benjamin Franklin, 1874. He added his own Life of Benjamin Franklin, and he edited the collected works of Franklin in ten volumes (1887-1888).

     He was an acquaintance of Professor George Bush of New York University. When he discovered the books of Emanuel Swedenborg in 1854, he was surprised to learn that Dr. Bush was familiar with them and advocated their contents.

     The final line in the Encyclopedia Britannica about Bigelow says that he that he wrote works on the theology of Emanuel Swedenborg. This would include a little book he wrote for his children near the time of his death. He called it The Bible That Was Lost and is Found (1912). In this book he recounts the story of his discovery of the Writings. A popular version of this account was published by the Swedenborg Foundation in 1953. The more ambitious book was The Mystery of Sleep.

The Mystery of Sleep

     In this book of 200 pages Bigelow makes his focus Divine purpose.

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Sleep cannot be an accident or a waste of time. He writes, "If, as it is no presumption to assume, there is nothing of divine ordinance that goes to waste, there must be a purpose in this periodical and universal change which we call sleep, conceived in infinite wisdom, and of course, therefore, for an infinitely important purpose."

     Consider, he says, this thing called sleep which provides complete dissociation from the natural world in which we live, "the interruption of all conscious relations with matters which engross our attention during our waking hours. No matter how much we are absorbed by private and public affairs, no matter how vast the worldly interest that seem to be depending upon every waking hour, with what cares we are perplexed, what aspirations we indulge, they can postpone but a few hours at most the visit of this inexorable master... Sleep, like death, knocks at the doors of kings' palaces as well as poor men's cottages."

     In sleep we are unconscious of "everything we have done in the past and of all we were planning to do in the future."

Periodic Deliverance from the Tyranny of Worldly Concern

     In sleep we have "utter deliverance from the domination of the phenomenal world; an entire emancipation, for these few sleeping hours, from the cares and ambitions of the life in which we were born, and to the indulgence of which we are inclined by nature to surrender the service of all our vital energies."

     "It is a good thing to live above the world, to regard our phenomenal life as transitory, as designed merely or mainly to educate us for a more elevated existence, to serve us as a means, not an end."

     We are delivered from "a servile dependence upon what ought to be a good slave, but is always a bad master." Bigelow speaks in harmony with Swedenborg's comments:

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Passages from Swedenborg

     "Human life from infancy to old age is nothing but a progression from the world to heaven. And the last age, which is death is the transition itself" (Secrets of Heaven 3016). Says Swedenborg, people may be disinclined to think about the things of heaven. "And yet the fact is that man is in this world in order to be initiated by his activities there into the thing which are of heaven, and that his life in this world is hardly a moment in comparison with his life after death, for this is eternal" (Secrets of Heaven 5006). "Let him who can, think whether a hundred thousand years are anything compared to eternity, and he will perceive that they are not; what then are some years of life in the world?" (Heavenly Doctrine 269).

Swedenborg on Early Morning Thoughts

     Bigelow asks the reader to think of the experiences of early morning. "Why should our minds be so much more alert in the morning, and problems which puzzled and defied solution at night be solved without a struggle?" Seeing morning clarity as evidence that good things happened during the night, Bigelow cites a German proverb: "The morning hour has gold in its mouth."1

     Some of Swedenborg's particularly significant adventures took place very early in the morning.2 One passage begins, "Awakening once soon after daybreak, I went out into the garden in front of my house, and saw the sun rising in his glory, and round about him a halo, at first faint, but afterwards more distinct, and beaming like gold" (True Christian Religion 112).

     Another begins, "One morning before sunrise, I looked out towards the east" (Conjugial Love 103). Yet another begins, "One morning as I awoke from sleep, the sun of the spiritual world appeared to me in its glory; and as far below it as our earth is from its sun I saw the heavens" (True Christian Religion 135).

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     When angels from the highest heaven wanted to convey "important" information to Swedenborg and let him behold a married pair from heaven, it took place at the dawn of the day. "One morning, looking up to heaven, I beheld above me expanse upon expanse." Then a voice from the highest heaven said, "We have perceived and do now see that you are meditating on conjugial love" (Conjugial Love 42).

     As a final example, note this saying in Conjugial Love. "One morning some sweet singing, heard from a height above me, woke me from sleep. Hence, in the first waking moments which are more internal and peaceful, and sweet than the following hours of the day, I could be held for some time in the spirit, as though out of the body, and could give exquisite attention to the affection which was being sung" (Conjugial Love 156).

     May those thoughts serve to heighten our gratitude to the Lord, Who cares for us from the first thread of our life and Whose love never sleeps.

     Endnotes:

     1 ca; 1665 "Morgenstunde hat Gold im Munde."

     2 These passages are not quoted by Bigelow, although he was familiar with them. He does not mention Swedenborg specifically until page 32.

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REVELATION: PART 2 2009

REVELATION: PART 2       Rev. ANDREW M. T. DIBB       2009


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      (Part One, October New Church Life, 2009)

     The Detectives

     In "Law and Order" the detective work begins when the detectives arrive on the crime scene and begin to analyze the evidence. Their task is to uncover, or "reveal", the facts of the case. They begin with an examination of the body, of the immediate evidence, and of possible eye witnesses. The investigation of the circle of suspects is expanded, and narrowed, until the guilt begins to point definitively to one person.

     Another television show, "CSI" or "Crime Scene Investigation" with several spin offs, elaborates the initial process. In this series a team of highly trained specialists analyze the crime scene, and as fiction often has it, they solve their mysteries through fingerprints, DNA and other scientific means. The two shows interconnect, one giving a more detailed focus, the other less so.

     Revelation really includes both these approaches. As the process of judgment continues, so the book focuses on detail pertaining to the doctrines and teachings of the Christian Church. Then, from time to time, a broader view, allowing one to see the overall progress as it develops.

     The primary detective in Revelation is the Lord as truth. At every point truth is there as a measure against which the church is judged. This truth is presented with the breaking of the seals, the trumpets sounding and vials being poured out. But people do not go to heaven or hell because of the truth. The determining factor is their response to the truth. People's loves position them in the spiritual world.

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Truth elicits a response: on the positive side, innocence, or a willingness to be led by truth, humility, a willingness to see oneself in the light of truth, and finally wisdom, bringing truth into action and practice in one's life. Alternatively, a lack of willingness, a rejection of truth stems from a negative reaction. Truth, then, is the means by which a person's mind is opened and led. In the last judgment it was not the truth people knew that led them to heaven or hell, but their reaction to what they perceived the truth to be and their willingness to revise that truth in light of new information.

     The detective work in Revelation is painstaking, but it follows a logical sequence that provides the structure of the book and explains why John's visions follow the pattern that they do.

     The first step of the detective work rests, as we saw earlier, on the law. Chapter five of Revelation describes the scroll "sealed with seven seals." This book is the Word, the truth which, when present in the Spiritual World would launch the investigation, it will show the falsities of Christian doctrine and, as people respond positively or negatively to this law, will separate them into those who are innocent of the crime, bound for heaven, and the guilty, who will cast themselves into hell. So as the scene is set, we read,

     "That the Lord in the Divine Human will execute judgment from the Word and according to it, because He Himself is the Word and this is acknowledged by all three heavens" (Apocalypse Revealed 255).

     Just as a detective begins with general research and gradually focuses attention on one culprit, so the Lord, as the spiritual detective begins with a broad ranging look at the state of the Christian Church. Chapter Six begins the work proper, as the Lamb (the Lord in His Divine Human) began to open seals.

     This signifies exploration by the Lord of all those upon whom the last Judgment was about to come, as to their understanding of the Word, and thence as to their states of life (Apocalypse Revealed 295).

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     Notice how this passage sums up the concept. The opening of the seals is an exploration. It is the Lord's detective work to identify the people of the church. "Exploring" in this sequence is closely akin to crime scene investigation, since it deals with "all" those to be judged. Since the last Judgment was general, affecting Christians of all types, Muslims, Jews, Gentiles and Heathen, one has to assume that these are all contained in that phrase "all upon whom the Last Judgment was about to come." Yet further reading of the Apocalypse Revealed shows that most of these are ignored. Very early in the process the Judgment in light of the Word focuses on Christians, first Protestants and later Catholics. Compare this to the initial stages of a crime scene investigation: having examined the corpse, the detectives have to begin the work of identifying the suspect and then proving him or her to be the murderer. Initially, at least, their dragnet includes the entire human race; any one could have done it. But in reality the vast majority of people are innocent of this particular crime simply because they did not know and did not have contact with the victim. So while the judgment is on "all" and begins at that point, it immediately begins the sifting process. The opening of the seals describes everyone, but in a more practical sense it refers to the Christian church.

     Detective work is exploration of a crime. It serves to "reveal" the facts in order to bring about justice. To do this, detectives begin with general facts: who knew the victim, what was their relationship and what sort of alibi do they have. Again this initial general process is outlined in Revelation. As the seals are broken, so the states of mind that can exist with Christians are revealed. There are those who are obviously innocent, those who embrace the truth. There are the obviously guilty, those who reject the truth and live lives of evil. These two categories, represented by the white and pale horses respectively, which appeared when the first and fourth seals were broken, are the easy part.

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Some suspects have no motive, no opportunity and no weapon; they could not have committed the crime and can be eliminated from the list immediately. These are the people represented by the white horse. On the other hand, the person holding the smoking gun, or the bloodied knife, is automatically the prime suspect. These people are those represented by the pale horse. Extreme responses to the Law, good or bad, are the easy part of the judgment. They take care of themselves.

     What is more difficult is the great area between, symbolized by the red and black horse, released when the second and third seal were broken. There are people who correspond to those who either harbor ill-feeling (red horse) or misguided and false thoughts about the victim (black horse). This is what the detectives need to sort out and, in terms of the judgment their states had to be explored in order for the judgment to take place. Thus the detective work begins, first in general, on all people, and gradually becomes more and more specific.

     As the investigation gets underway, the truly innocent are eliminated from the list of suspects. Chapter seven of Revelation deals with these people as those who "were sealed; a hundred and forty-four thousand, sealed out of every Tribe of Israel" (Rev. 7:4). These are the people who will make up the new Christian heaven that will be formed at the end of the judgment process (Apocalypse Revealed 341), like innocents who will live in peace when criminals are locked up.

     As detectives remove the innocents from the list of suspects, the remaining suspects become more likely to be the culprits. Again this process is closely mirrored in Revelation: as the one hundred and forty-four thousand were readied for heaven, so the exploration of the remainder could begin. The first suspect under intense scrutiny was the Protestant church.

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     John reports in chapter eight, that when the Lord opened the seventh seal, "there was silence in heaven as of half an hour" (Rev. 8:1). The opening of that seal, as with all the others, represents the exploration of the Protestant church. A city detective would call this silence "pay dirt." He has examined the corpse, gathered witnesses and gradually eliminated the innocent. Finally he encounters a suspect who has the potential of being his man. The investigation changes gear from being general to being very specific.

     There is a shift in the language used in the Apocalypse Revealed at this point. In chapter six the opening of the seals represented "the exploration" of the church, but in chapter eight there is an added term "exploration and manifestation" of these in the church (Apocalypse Revealed 386). A later passage describes this as "the exploration and disclosure of the state of the church, and hence of the life of those who are in faith alone" (Apocalypse Revealed 391). It is not enough for detectives to point out a suspect; they need to prove that he is guilty. They need to demonstrate motive, opportunity, ability and so on in order for their case to stand up in court. In short they need to manifest, or disclose, the reasons why their suspect is guilty. This will, of course, take extra investigation, but from now on, the exploration must culminate in evidence, they must have proof.

     The detective work on the Protestant Church begins very generally and gradually becomes more specific. Chapter Seven of the book of Revelation describes angels blowing trumpets and the response of the people of the Church as they respond. The blast of a trumpet "signified to explore and make manifest" (Apocalypse Revealed 398). Since the Lord judged by means of truth, blowing a trumpet represents truth being brought down to the level of the World of Spirits. The reaction of the people there would indicate their innocence or guilt, since good people embrace truth when they hear it, while the evil reject and turn away from it.

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     The first step of the detective work with those who may or may not be guilty begins generally. So, while the Apocalypse Revealed refers to the Protestant Church collectively, it notes that,

     "[I]t should be known that the church in the Reformed world is at this day divided into three, from the three leaders, Luther, Calvin, and Melanchthon, and that those three churches differ in various things; but in this article, that man is justified by faith without the works of the law, they all agree, which is remarkable" (Apocalypse Revealed 391).

     The initial work is general, with all people from the Protestant Church, regardless of their subdivision, being called together by the blast of a trumpet. This initial broad sweep is useful for separating the innocent again from the guilty.

     Judgment of the Protestant Church from the perspective of truth is tricky, because Protestants, far more than Catholics, know the Bible well. Every doctrinal proclamation is well referenced, and, on the surface, from passages in the Bible, may even appear to be true. In the first sweep of the Protestant Church, one of the first steps is to determine which of the people revere the Bible for its own sake, and which use the Bible to create and support the doctrines of faith alone. With each blast of the trumpet the truth itself is presented in the World of Spirits, and the guilty rush away from it.

     What the spiritual detectives found when they presented truth in the world of spirits at that time was that there were those who acted "from infernal love destroying good and truth and falsifying the Word" (Apocalypse Revealed 399). These people had no love for the truth (Apocalypse Revealed 400), and therefore had no real faith (Apocalypse Revealed 401). This was the case, despite the external appearances of their being spiritual and pious.

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These were perhaps the easiest of the murky suspects: those closest to the surface, rather like those represented by the pale horse. But there were still others, more complex, whose actual relationship to truth, and thereby to goodness and the Lord, was much more difficult to reveal.

     As the trumpets blew, as the Lord explored the state of the Protestant Church as a whole, He found people in various states of rejection of the Word. There were those who believed in the Protestant religion more on the surface than being truly committed to it like those above. For these people, truth itself was not particularly important, rather, it was a means to the end of presenting themselves as good, pious people in this world (Apocalypse Revealed 402, 403). The Lord also found people who, because they believed the teachings of faith alone, could not be reformed and be saved (Apocalypse Revealed 405). When these people heard the truth, they could not understand it, for the truth teaches that religion is of life, and they had rejected the life of religion in favor of salvation by faith alone. The result is a life of evil (Apocalypse Revealed 412), for when people reject goodness and truth the result is evil and falsity. There is no middle ground in the World of Spirits between these two. The Lord, as the spiritual Detective, explored the state of Protestant spirits, and this is what He found.

     In detective work, the exploration of suspects begins generally and becomes more specific. Not only are suspects identified and the innocent crossed off the list, but the detectives also have to examine the nature of the crime. In order to prove someone guilty, the detectives have to examine opportunity, means and motive, and if the charges eventually stick, they will need to demonstrate all of these things in court. Revelation takes us through a similar process. As John's vision unfolds, so the exploration also becomes more specific. Gradually, the statements earlier in the book that refer to "all" being judged give way to statements about very specific types of people in the Protestant Church.

472


This focusing really begins in Chapter Nine, when the subjects of the trumpet's blasts change from generalized passage (for example, Apocalypse Revealed 391), to the much more focused statement of Apocalypse Revealed 417:

     "[This chapter deals with] the exploration and manifestation of the states of life of those in the church of the Reformed, who are called learned and wise from the confirmation of faith separated from charity, and of justification and salvation by it alone" (Op. cit.).

     The fifth trumpet then focuses on the "learned and wise." These were those who had the power to use the truth to create and defend the doctrines of salvation by faith alone. As the spiritual detectives worked with these people by setting the truth before them, so they found that these so called "learned and wise" could twist the Word to mean just about anything, as long as it agreed with their basic doctrine. The long vision in chapter nine of Revelation, horrifying in the literal sense and no less so in the internal sense, focuses on the falsity of the doctrine of faith alone concocted by these so called "learned" of the church. The power of their leadership rested on the fact that they could demonstrate their falsities from the literal statements of the Word, often taken out of context, or interpreted according to a preconceived idea, but from the Word nonetheless. Finally the direct connection between suspects in the crime and the crime itself is becoming clearer.

     When the sixth trumpet blows in verse 13 of Chapter Nine, the attention shifts from the leaders of the church to the followers. These are the accessories after the fact, the people who collude with the primary perpetrator of a crime to make it possible, or to cover it up because the crime, in some way, benefits them. If the full facts of the crime are to be revealed and judged, then every aspect needs to be explored and manifested. Churches, especially when they fall into falsity and consequent evil, need both leaders and those who assent to their leadership.

473


These people are the direct beneficiaries of the crime, as is pointed out in Apocalypse Revealed 442:

     "And the sixth angel sounded, signifies the exploration and manifestation of their state of life in the church of the Reformed who are not so wise, and yet place the all of the religion in faith, and think of it alone and of nothing except it, and the customary worship, and so live as they please" (Emphasis added).

     The crime, then, proves to be a sweet deal for both perpetrator and accessory: it provides the former with the sense of power over the things of the Word, because the Word, to them, is the grist of the mill of their reasoning. For the latter, the crime is perhaps even sweeter, for it allows them, with the full confidence of the religion taught by their leaders, to "live as they please." For them there is none of the guilt, the repentance or the responsibility for spiritual life that Roman Catholics (and subsequently New Church people) had to deal with.

     The Church in the true sense, which is true knowledge of the Lord and a life according to His Commandments, lay as dead at the feet of the Protestant Church. As the Lord, the spiritual detective, probed by means of truth, so the picture gradually emerged and was laid bare. Like detectives gathering fingerprints and supporting evidence, so the book of Revelation continues to unfold the crime and the nature of the perpetrators.

     The next sequence of chapters gather the specific details of the crime, each part becoming more specific than the last as the gory details are unveiled. In Chapter Ten the spiritual detectives explore and show what the suspects, the wise and not so wise, of the Protestant Church believed about the Lord. Every crime begins with an assumption that contains a basic falsity. A murderer, for example, may know that it is wrong to kill, but chooses to believe that in his or her particular circumstance the rule does not apply. The essential rule of religion is what people believe about God, and for Christians what they believe about Jesus Christ.

474


Protestantism contains many truths about both God and Jesus, but, underlying these is a false assumption: that the human and divine of the Lord are not united, but are two separate aspects within God. While this may sound like mere theologizing, it is, nonetheless, the core of their crime against religion, for it allowed the doctrine of faith alone to express itself Chapter Ten outlines the true teaching of the nature of God, while Chapter Eleven takes the story to the next step and describes, or manifests, the Protestant response. Through thorough exploration, or detective work, it is shown that the Protestants really did not believe the truth about the Lord; they rejected the principle that the Lord alone is God of heaven and earth, and the essential point that His human is divine. Thus they rejected the Lord. The result is that they also rejected the teachings about living according to His commandments, choosing to embrace, instead, the doctrine of faith alone that allowed them to live as they wished.

     The detectives are now getting to the essential quality of the crime. They have identified the culprits and the accessories to the fact. The motive is also clear, that people wished to live as they pleased. The weapon of choice which makes this possible is the doctrine of faith alone. Gradually the pieces all begin to fit into place and the picture clarifies: a crime took place, and the detectives have not only solved it, but they can prove their solution. (To be completed)

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THANKSGIVING, AN ANCIENT-CHURCH PRACTICE 2009

THANKSGIVING, AN ANCIENT-CHURCH PRACTICE       Editor       2009


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     One relic of the Ancient Church which has been preserved down to our time, is the practice of Giving Thanks to the Lord, especially at times of harvest. We will return to this in a moment. For there are several ancient practices with us still. In a previous Editorial, we noted the ancient custom of "each person teaching everyone else" their view of doctrine (New Church Life, August 2009). It was the original "speaking out" version in the Church, although they also had that privilege in the Most Ancient Church: "The Most Ancient Church, which was celestial man, was not only forbidden to eat from the tree of knowledge, that is, to learn that which comprised faith from sensory evidence and from facts... [but not even] to think from sensory evidence and from facts about anything that was a matter of faith. This was to prevent them slumping from celestial to spiritual life, and in this way going down further still. The life of celestial angels is also the same....All the same, celestial angels, like others, discuss various matters among themselves, but they do so in celestial language that is formed by, and derived from, love, a language that is more indescribable than the language of spiritual angels" (Arcana Coelestia 202 emphasis added). They discussed doctrine in the Most Ancient Church too! They just did not doubt anything. This free discussion carried over into the First Ancient Church immediately after Noah's flood, whenever that pre-historic watershed event took place - and such free discussion is invited in the New Church as well: "Now it is permitted to enter rationally into all the mysteries of faith" (True Christian Religion 508). Those mysteries are transformed into all the clearly stated doctrines found in the Writings.

     Free discussion, as we saw, works only when charity is assumed.

476


That is still the ideal, of course. We often repeat the well known teachings about charity uniting all Christian sects under the same banner: if charity were to be placed ahead of faith, life ahead of creeds, then "...from all the differing churches there would be made one church; and all the dissensions that come forth from doctrine alone would vanish" (Arcana Coelestia 1799:2, cf. 1285:3, 1316, 1798, 1834:2, 1844, 2385:4, 2982, 3267:2, 3451:2). Of course there can be no charity unless evils are shunned as sins against the Lord to begin with. If evils were shunned by every adult, the resulting charity would tend to unify all faiths. This ancient ideal still appeals to us. The Writings point out that all forms of religion around the world still adopt the common standard of the Ten Commandments, or even the Golden Rule. The Lord came to save the entire human race: "Other sheep I have also, which are not of this fold" (John 10:16). A whole village of Samaritans accepted what the Lord said "because of His own word" (John 4:41). Such an ecumenical unity is a relic of an ancient hope, still lingering.

     Thanksgiving, or Harvest Festivals, have Biblical origins from the various feasts established in the Church Israel, but in imitation of even earlier traditions harking back to the Ancient Church. Indeed it goes back to the Most Ancient Church, Adam, in its pristine integrity. The most ancients "lived" in constant thanksgiving to the Lord, for they returned to the Lord all that they received from Him, thus making it their own, as if their own. This is the "good of love to the Lord from the Lord" which is celestial (Arcana Coelestia 9865, 10132:8-10, Heaven and Hell 214). It returns all good to the Lord as the Source. The Ancient Church, Noah, derived from them the practice of returning all to the Lord. But Noah did not sacrifice: "Sacrifices were not known in the [first] Ancient Church" (Arcana Coelestia 1343).

477


When it says "Noah offered burnt offerings on the altar" (Genesis 8:20) it means the internal was practiced, but not the external practice as yet. This returning to the Lord was later turned into sacrifices, introduced at the time of Eber, the first actual person mentioned in Genesis, the founder of the Hebrew or Second Ancient Church. Old Testament characters such as Balaam from that Second Ancient church, started to offer bullocks (Numbers 23:1, 2, 14, 15, 29, Arcana Coelestia 1992, 4449, True Christian Religion 264 et. al.). Later, Melchizedek, perhaps a descendant of 'Noah' or the first Ancient Church (cf. Arcana Coelestia 1727), knew what sacrifices meant, which is why he offered wine and bread (Gen. 14:18-20, True Christian Religion 264, Sacred Scripture 101:3).

     So the Israelites were commanded to bring the first-fruits, and the ingathering and other festivals of the produce of the earth, harking back to the "made-up history" of Cain and Abel making offerings in the Most Ancient Church. Thus the little tabernacles or booths that the children of Israel set up at times of thanksgiving, in which they dwelt for seven days, meant "the holiness of love received from the Lord and offered in return to the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia 414, 1102, et. al.). Later, "The holy of holies' [meant] that the good received in that kingdom is the good of love which comes from and is offered back to the Lord, which is celestial good" (Arcana Coelestia 10129). That is why the phrase "good of love from the Lord to the Lord" is explained so often in the Writings.

     Such biblical feasts then carried over into the Feasts of Charity in the Primitive or first Christian Church: For from the "Ancient Church, which was spread through many regions of Asia ....[which] had been a representative church, [where] external things represented internal ones, many religious ceremonials were carried over to the nations round about" (Arcana Coelestia 10177). "Feasts in the ancient churches and also in the primitive Christian church were feasts of charity, at which they strengthened each other to abide in the worship of the Lord with sincere hearts" (True Christian Religion 727).

478


That was how a ceremony of harvest offerings have been derived from the Ancient Church, into the Israelitish, thence to the Christian Church, and so also the New Church may practice it. From such original Feasts of Charity, any cultural practice like it receives a legitimacy, with the qualifying touch of doctrinal explanations. These provide for the spiritual essence. One definition of the spiritual essence of Thanksgiving, as we just saw, was "to strengthen each other in worshipping the Lord," and to "encourage sincere hearts"! These may constitute motives for the festival.

     Other motives for voluntarily giving "thanks" to the Lord, are thanking Him for our "liberation from hell" and for "our regeneration." It is for these reasons that "worship and thanksgiving are continually to endure" (Arcana Coelestia 9286:2). We have to be reminded by the practice of feasts of charity, which is also why the Lord commands worship: the Divine intent is for people of the Church to enter into a "state of humility ... for that person's own sake, because the Lord can flow in with heavenly good when that state exists in him" (Arcana Coelestia 5957). It is for our own spiritual welfare's sake that we voluntarily participate in humiliation and adoration before the Lord, thus in thanksgiving and praise to Him.

     The Most Ancient church tradition exemplified by the Garden of Eden, has given rise to the myth that heaven consists of "eternal feasting." Well, newcomers to the other world soon find out they get sick and tired of eternal feasting! But the Garden of Eden state means that the Most Ancients could roam the entire mind at will, from the loftiest perception to the lowliest apprehension of good or truth, and still be in a state of order, feasting at the Lord's table, acknowledging and returning all to Him as the Source. We may rightfully practice returning all that is in our mind that has come from Him, to the Lord.

479


This is a mental feasting, again practiced in discussing doctrine.

     There is one further reason given that could motivate our Thanksgiving: the "first phase of faith" is "being endowed with life from God by means of acknowledgment to the Lord" (Arcana Coelestia 10083:5). As we acknowledge whatever is received from the Lord as coming from Him, then it is really received. In our acknowledgment of the Lord, we truly receive life from Him. Here is something that can suffuse our songs of thanksgiving.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     "On hearing these things the angels say, 'Welcome. We will show you something new, which you have not known or believed before; and this is that every man after death lives in a body just as he did before.' To this the new spirits retort, 'That is impossible; where would he get a body from? Is not his body together with all of him lying dead in the grave?' To this the angels reply with amusement, 'We will give you a visible demonstration of this', and they say, 'Are you not human beings in perfect shape! Look at yourselves, feel yourselves; and yet you have left the natural world. The reason why you have so far been unaware of this is that the first state of life after death is exactly similar to the last state of life before death.' On hearing this the new arrivals are amazed, and in heartfelt joy exclaim, 'Thanks be to God that we are alive and death has not utterly destroyed us.' I have often heard newcomers taught about their life beyond the grave in this way and delighted at their own resurrection" (Five Remarkable Events 7).

480


REMARKS ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEDICATIONOF THE SCIENCE BUILDING 2009

REMARKS ON THE OCCASION OF THE DEDICATIONOF THE SCIENCE BUILDING       Dr. GREGORY L. BAKER       2009


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     This is a great day for Bryn Athyn College. This is a great day for science at our College. As I was thinking about this day, I had a thought, which is perhaps not original, but it struck me as being appropriate to this occasion.

     In order to develop this idea, I need to begin with a little history.

     It has been argued, by historians of science, that the origins of modern science in Western Europe have their roots in the growth of Christianity. If we can imagine the region around the Mediterranean at the time of the first Advent, zero A.D., we would picture a world where many gods were worshipped. Some of the gods had limited abilities. Some had human failings. Many of the gods had only limited jurisdictions. Which one or which group of these deities created the world? In this confusion, in this world, there was no widespread unified view of creation.

     But the rapid growth of Christianity changed all that. The more-or-less civilized western world soon came to worship a single Divine being, with perfect human characteristics, that we now call Love and Wisdom. There was now only one Creator, who used a single plan to create the entire world.

     Therefore, when early scientists, such as Galileo and Newton, eventually began to study the world, they had a sense that it was orderly; and, since man was created in God's image, it was also, by definition, understandable. They saw the study of nature as an appropriate Christian endeavor to comprehend the Divine Will and Plan. In fact, they considered such efforts to be acts of worship.

481


Thus was born the notion of the "two books", two sources from which to learn of God's plan. As Swedenborg was later to describe it: there are two foundations of truth, one being nature and the other being the Word.

     Now, the strange fact is that even though Christianity spread rapidly, it took many centuries before the scientific enterprise developed strong roots. In fact, organized Christianity was somewhat hostile to experimental enquiry. As late as 1632 the Inquisition forced Galileo to retract his view that the sun was the center of the solar system. It is only around the late 17th century and early 18th century that we start to see major scientific developments.

     Now, for me, there is something quite remarkable in this bit of history. It is this fact. Christianity took only a few centuries to really take hold, to create this world view of one God, as creator of an ordered world. And yet, it took the enterprise of science something like fifteen centuries to even get started.

     Why should this be?

     I think - and this is the key point - that with the beginning of science, the Lord was encouraging preparation for His Second Coming. Through a new freedom of discovery and experimentation in science, the Lord was preparing humankind to receive the new freedom that His New Revelation would bring. And by corresponding means, He was also preparing the spiritual world for a new clarity of thought. This new clarity would be manifest in the Last Judgment; the reordering of the spiritual world that ultimately took place in 1757. In this sense, we might say that the beginning of modern science was a precursor to, and perhaps even a necessary condition for, the Second Coming

     Thus, science is an activity that is especially linked to the Second Coming. This line of thinking may seem a bit revolutionary even to some Swedenborgians.

482


But if true, then the dedication of a science building at a New Church college is a doubly meaningful event. Not only do we have new laboratories on the campus of Bryn Athyn College, but we can also realize that, as a religious phenomenon, the doing of science arises out of a need for a clear understanding of the New revelation given in the Heavenly Doctrines.

     Grant Richardson Doering, our friend and former colleague, for whom this center is named, would be mightily pleased that this day has come. If he could speak to us, he would probably say, in his own inimitable style, something like, "Well, it's about time."

     Thank you.
Title Unspecified 2009

Title Unspecified              2009


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     "After the Last Judgment was accomplished, there was then joy in heaven, and also light in the world of spirits, such as was not before. The joy in heaven and its quality, after the dragon was cast down, is described in the Apocalypse (12:10-12); and there was light in the world of spirits, because those infernal societies had been interposed like clouds which darken the earth. A similar light also then arose with men in the world, from which they had new enlightenment" (Continuation of the Last Judgment 30, emphasis added).

483


GENERAL CHURCH SCHOOLSDIRECTORY2009-2010GENERAL CHURCH OFFICE OF EDUCATION2009-2010 2009

GENERAL CHURCH SCHOOLSDIRECTORY2009-2010GENERAL CHURCH OFFICE OF EDUCATION2009-2010              2009


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Eric Carswell      Bishop's Representative for Education
Scott Daum           Director of New Church Education
Rachel Glenn      Assistant Director, Religious Educational Programs
Melodie Greer      Assistant Director, Schools
Mark Wyncoll (Kempton)      Teacher Support, Testing
Gretchen Keith      Vineyard, Resource Development
Sarah Odhner      Unit Box Circulation, Sunday School
Janet Lockard      Early Childhood Religion Lessons, Jacob's Ladder
Marguerite Acton      Graphics, Publications
Lisa Weiss           Secretary, Accounts

     CARMEL NEW CHURCH SCHOOLS

Rev. Bradley Heinrichs       Principal, Rel. 5-6
Rev. Nathan Cole*      Rel. 1-4
Liz Longstaff     Vice Principal
Suzanna Hill*     Jr K-Sr. K
Laura Hill           Grades 1-2
Nina Riepert      Grades 3-4
Kayla Uniac      Grades 5-6
James Bellinger     Grades 7-8
Stephanie Kuhl      Grades 9-10
Mary Jane Hill*      Music
Muriel Glebe*      French

     GLENVIEW NEW CHURCH SCHOOL

Erik Synnestvedt      Director of Schools
Rev. Peter Buss, Jr.      School Pastor, Hebrew, 3-4
Laura Barger      HR K-2
Sarah Berto      K-2, admin. Support

484



Rebekah Russell      HR 3-6, Math 3, LA 3-6, admin. support
Lucinda Edmonds*     SS 3-6, Sci 3-4, LA 3-4
Deborah Lehne      Before care, LRC, LA 1-4 student support
Philip Parker      Sci 5-8, Hist 7-8, PE 5-8, admin. support
Emily Horigan      HR 7-8, Math 4-8, LA 7-8
Jennifer Overeem*      Art, Penmanship K-2, PE K-4, Drama 7-8
Bonny Lundin-Scheer*      Music 3-8
Rev. Mark Pendleton*      Religion 3-4, 7-8
Rev. Mark Allais      Rel 5-6
Roxanne Junge*      Senior Preschool
Kara Smith*      Junior and All-day Preschool

     KAINON CHURCH SCHOOL

Rev. Erik Buss      Pastor, Religion 6-7
Jane Edmunds     Principal, Headmistress
Maria Gibb           Grade 1, Music
Lauren Gauld      Grades 2-3
Gail Mitchell      Grades 4-5
Sandra Watkins      Grades 6-7
Derrick Lumsden      Religion 4-5
Bridgett Garrett*      Math 4-5, Writing and Environ. Science 2-3
To be advised*      Sports

     KEMPTON NEW CHURCH SCHOOL

Rev. Lawson Smith      Principal, Rel 9-10
Mark Wyncoll      Asst. Principal, Eng. 7-10, Math 5, PE 7-10
Gray Glenn*      Kindergarten
Kathy Schrock      Grades 1-2
Michelle Brown     Grades 3-4, PE 7-10
Rev. Louis Synnestvedt      Grades 5-6, Rel. 7-8
John Walker      Math 4, 7-10
Barbara Karas      LA 7-8, Hist. 7-10
Rev. Andrew Heilman     Hebrew 2, Sci. 7-8, Bio 9-10
Kate Pitcairn*      Latin 1-2

     OAK ARBOR SCHOOL

Rev. Nathan Gladish       Principal, Rel 3-4, 7-8

485



Elise Gladish*      Jr K-Sr K
Judi Pafford     Grades 1-2
Julie Elder*      Grades 3-4
Nancy Genzlinger*      Grades 3-4
Nathaniel Brock      Grades 5-6
Rev. Derek Elphick*      Pastor, Rel 5-6, 7-8
Dawn Genzlinger*      Grades 7-8
Kristin Pitcairn*      Phys. Ed.
Karen Elder*      Art, Recitation
Catherine Steen*      Music K-8

     OLIVET NEW CHURCH SCHOOL

Rev. James Cooper*      Pastor, Principal
Sara Gatti      Head Teacher, Morning Kindergarten
Judy Todd      Preschool Coord. and Teacher, Playschool, Tots' Time
Deb Williams*      Playschool, Secretary
Karen Cooper*      French, Grade 5 PT, Afterschool Program
Laura Braam      Grades 1-2
Gabriele Pulpan      Grades 3-4
Rachel Hasen*      Music

     PITTSBURGH NEW CHURCH SCHOOL

Rev. Amos Glenn      Principal, Rel 4-8
Gerda Griffiths*      Jr K-Sr K, PE Jr K-1, 7-8
Colleen Donaldson      Grades 1-3, Art 7-8
Holly Uber      Grades 4-6, Sci. 1-8
Cynthia Glenn*     Grades 7-8, Music Jr. K-8, Head teacher
Caroline David*      Grades 7-8, LA 1-3
Julie Uber (volunteer)      Art 1-6, SS 4-6

     WASHINGTON NEW CHURCH SCHOOL

Rev. Mike Gladish      Pastor, Rel 9-10
Jana Sprinkle      Floater: K, Sci, Eng., Math, PE
Kim Maxwell      Grades 1-2
Anne Ball           Grades 3-4
James Roscoe      Grades 5-6, Hist 9-10
Kathy Johns      Act. Principal, Grades 7-8

486



Carole Waelchli     Grades 9-10
Erin Stillman      Art
Sharon Kunkle*      Music 1-10
Rev. Michael Ferrell*      Religion 5-6 and 7-8
Candy Quintero*      Jr-K, Kindergarten
Bonnie Cowley*      Keyboarding

     BRYN ATHYN CHURCH SCHOOL

Reid Prichett      Headmaster
Rev. Phil Schnarr       School Pastor, Rel 7, 8
Gail Simons      Director
Steve Irwin      Special Projects
Linda Kees          Kindergarten
Beth Bochneak      Kindergarten
Gretchen Glover*      Kindergarten aide
Amy Jones*           Kindergarten aide
Robin Morely     Grade 1
Christine DeMaria      Grade 1
Aline Brown      Grade 2
Liz Switzer          Grade 2
Judy Soneson      Grade 3
Cynthia Conaron      Grade 3
Anita Halterman*      Primary Unit Aide
Jena Frey           Grade 4
Carla Reuter     Grade 4
Cara Dibb          Grade 5
Debbie Cook      Grade 5
Kirsten Alden     Grade 6
Sheila Daum      Grade 6
Wendy Clymer*      Int. Unit Tutor/Aide
Sandy Pellani*      Int. Unit Tutor/Aide
Carol Nash           Grade 7 - Girls
Drew Hyatt          Grade 7 - Boys
Brita Conroy     Grade 8 - Girls
Greg Henderson      Grade 8 - Boys
Miriam Lexie*      Upper Unit Aide
Sharon Neiger      Librarian
Dean Morey*      Mechanical Art 8-B
Heather McCurdy      Phys Ed
Alex Rogers          Phys Ed
Dianna Synnestvedt     Art
Margit Irwin      Music

487



Lucas Mergen     Tech. Educator
Gail Neukum      Science 5-8
Sue Hyatt*           8 Alg., Enrichment
Rev. Jay Barry*      Religion 4
Rev. Mac Frazier*      Religion 5
Rev. John Odhner*      Religion 6
Lisa Synnestvedt      Director Student Support
Angela Rose*     St Support
Molly Cronlund*     St Support
Jodi Carr*          St Support
Natasha Keys*     St Support
Janna King*          St Support
Anika Kistner*     St Support
Janna Lindsay*     St Support
Kiri Rogers*     St Support
Barbara Rose*     St Support

     SCHOOLS ENROLLEMENT 2009-2010

The Academy     

Theological School (Full-time)           15
Theological School (Part-time)           0
Theological School Masters Program           13
College (Full-time)                     181
College (Part-time or auditing)           11
Boys School                          122
Girls School                          108

     Total Academy                     450

Society Schools     

Bryn Athyn Church School                298
Carmel Church School (Kitchener, ON)     52
Glenview New Church School                39
Kainon School (Durban, RSA)                63
Kempton New Church School                62
Oak Arbor School (Rochester, MI)           39
Olivet New Church School (Toronto, ON)      44
Pittsburgh New Church School               23
Washington New Church School (Mitchellville, MD) 46

     Total Society Schools                666

     Total Reported Enrollment in All Schools           1116

488


ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THEGENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM 2009

ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THEGENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM       ALAINE F. YORK       2009


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     Between July 1, 2008 and June 30, 2009, 212 members were received into the General Church. During the year the Secretary's office received notice of the deaths of 48 members.

     Memberships July 1, 2008     5085

     New Members                    212

     Deceased Members               48

     Resigned                    2

     Membership June 30, 2009     5247
ORDINATIONS 2009

ORDINATIONS              2009


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     Announcements
     Abuga, Samson Mogusu-At Etora, Kisii, Kenya, June 20, 2009, Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith officiating. [2nd degree]

     Rangi, Khalid Obiri-At Riounde, Kissi, Kenya, June 27, 2009, Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith officiating. [2nd degree]
Notes on This Issue 2009

Notes on This Issue        Editor       2009


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     We welcome back Rev. Clark Echols Jr., stationed in Cincinnati, Ohio. His sermon on rejoicing at Christmas time imagines how Mary felt, and what it involved for her to obey the Lord as a handmaiden. How are we also "highly favored"?

     The final installment of Revelation by Rev. Dr. Dibb follows through on who the "Lawyers" are in that book, and then the final judgment, and conclusion. Follow through on this dramatic work, and its understanding.

     Please note our annual Index of items you may have missed during the year, and of the grand allocation of your ministerial resources!

     The Rev. J. Clark Echols Jr. was inaugurated into the priesthood in 1978, and ordained into the second degree in 1980. He began as Assistant to the Pastor at the Immanuel Church in Glenview, visiting the Madison Circle. In 1982 he was called to serve as resident Pastor to the Denver Circle in Colorado, also visiting the Central Western District. In 1993 Clark was called to serve as the Pastor to the Freeport Society, Pa. From 2001 he visited the Lake Helen Circle and groups in Northern and Western Florida, and in 2002 became the Pastor of the Glendale New Church Society, Cincinnati, Ohio. In 2005 he added the role of visiting Pastor to Indianapolis, and to the Dawson Creek Circle for one year until it received its resident Pastor; and he is still a visiting Pastor to the Palo Alto Circle, CA. Clark lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.

[Photograph of the Rev. Clark Echols.]

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REJOICE! THE LORD IS WITH YOU 2009

REJOICE! THE LORD IS WITH YOU       Rev. J. CLARK ECHOLS       2009


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     A SERMON

     "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you!" Luke 1:28

     Human beings all seek joy in their life, although there are many who don't know what genuine joy is. All humans desire to be favored by others, although too many of us do not seek the favor of the Lord. You are here today in part because deep in your spirit is the desire to have the Lord present in your life. The Lord's New Church teaches a certain path to having a joyful, satisfying, spiritual life. One place in the Word we find it described is in the life of Mary of Galilee, the mother of Jesus Christ.

     An examination of the entirety of Mary's life leaves the feeling that to be highly favored by God is a mixed blessing. She is a young, healthy woman, confident in the future because all is set for her marriage to the man she loves. And then everything changes. Their love must weather the worst of scandals; she has decades of worry for her special son whose perfect idealism cannot prevail over the evil forces of the world; and, the ultimate grief for a parent, the death of her child before her. It appears to be a very hard life, indeed.

     We cannot know if Mary ever understood what favor was bestowed upon her. However, we can learn that lesson now. The internal sense of the story reveals to us everything there is to know about our Lord and our salvation, and that learning does not depend on our knowing any more than what is in the literal sense. Mary certainly lived the prophecy of the coming of the Lord, the Messiah, but the details are not reported by the Gospel writer. We can be sure that those details are not among those necessary to communicate the internal sense.

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     Our lesson today is very poignant, and is a moving picture of a woman who was chosen by the Lord because she was a Jew, whose religion was so integrated into her life, and who was so sure that God had blessed her, that she was able to hear the angel's message that she was highly favored. She was the kind of person who was able to easily and immediately let go of any plan she had for her life. She was young and malleable enough to adjust her thinking to accept this completely unexpected manner in which the Messiah was coming to save them all. In a matter of moments, as she heard the angel's message, she was able to turn her life over to the Lord in the most radical way possible. She committed herself to be a servant of the Lord. Her life would be according to His Word, which is the literal description of authentic joy.

     Mary symbolizes our love for truth. We feel blessed; we feel joy, by bringing the truth into existence in fulfillment of our love. Whenever we have felt joy because a good idea we loved has become realized through our action, we also recognized that the Lord is caring for us, and we felt the presence of the Lord. We should count ourselves then highly favored!

     Truly satisfying joy is both a mental and a physical feeling. It exists only when we bring a true idea that we love into physical reality. We all have what we think are great ideas! Maybe a very useful invention exists in our minds, or even on a piece of scratch paper. Perhaps you know exactly how to express your love for your child, whether still a youth or adult, yet have not done it yet, or have not done it well. Perhaps you know quite well what true marriage love looks like, and yet continue to miss opportunities to create it here and now.

     The Heavenly Doctrine explains that our love for truth will carry through to an experience of joy. The motivation to take action in these important areas of our life is established only by internalizing the truth that the Lord is caring about our welfare,

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the truth that the results of our actions are in His control, and the truth that He has designed this process, which means it always works perfectly. By acquiring and using these truths to stop worrying about whether we will be liked, we let go of the need to determine the outcome, and we allow the stream 1f His providence to carry us along.

     Feeling cared for by the Lord, that He favors us, is also a feeling in our spirit and in our body. The Word tells us that a feeling of self-determination, of independence, of self life, is at the core of our humanity. Psychologists have noticed how this sense of self develops. We can identify influences that contribute to a healthy sense of self, and wounds that produce a distorted sense of self life, because the Word has told about the evil spirits and the angels and our communion with them.

     As adults, a healthy sense of self is founded on our internalizing the truth that we have eternal life as a free gift from our Creator, and that He thus cares for us in the deepest and broadest manner possible. The more clearly we see these truths and the more deeply and broadly they affect our thinking, our desires and our actions, the more confident we will be in ourselves. Turning our very lives over to the Lord this way frees us from worrying about the future, enables us to overcome psychological barriers to healthy self regard, opens us to the healing power of the Lord's love. For we know, absolutely, that the Lord is favoring us highly as one of His precious children.

     Many people have come to believe that the Lord is present only in churches, or perhaps in beautiful places in nature. Indeed, ancient people worshipped in special places on mountains or in groves. Worship in buildings may have developed for spiritual reasons, but at this point there are merely natural reasons that suffice. Inside we can control the environment. We can be comfortable, look at works of art and beautiful structures and wonderful music.

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These tend to lift our spirits and we can easily give thanks to the Lord and praise Him for His wonderful words and works. But then there are the times when the Lord seems absent. Obviously, this can be the appearance in any physical place, although when it is cold, dark and wet or snowy, it takes some mental and physical effort to rise above those conditions.

     It is clear to those who think spiritually, that the presence of the Lord depends entirely on our spiritual state, not physical conditions. The Heavenly Doctrine teaches us that the Lord dwells in the good and truth we have acquired from the Word. Good and truth are available to us from two sources, the Word and nature. We read the Word, learning ever more from it through our adult life, and we learn from our experiences, confirming what the Word teaches. This process supplies a foundation of facts that become our goods and truths as we apply them in our living. Then we feel, in our hearts, our minds and our bodies, the Lord's Spirit as He dwells in us in those goods and truths that are actually His, even though they feel like our own.

     The process of acquiring true joy, of feeling favored by the Lord and experiencing His presence in our living, is completely dependent on the quality of the truths and goods that we learn, acquire, internalize, apply and use in our living. Again, the internal sense of the story of Mary the mother of Jesus is that our love of truth will drive this whole process so that the Lord can give us these wonderful gifts. The key to achieving this advanced spiritual state is a clear, adequate, sustainable idea of God. So being joyful, feeling favored and having a sense of His presence are connected to how useable is our idea of God. The nature and quality of the truth we are to have an affection for is critical.

     Likely you know someone who has reported that they lost interest in religion after the 7th grade.

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They learned all the stories, and loved them, but the church simply didn't feed them spiritually when they became an adult. This may have happened because what they were taught was perfect for a child's understanding of God, but not an adult's. Our natural man, which will always be limited to a childish understanding of God, will always need to have a friend in Jesus; a model human being who is to be followed because He did all those wonderful miracles, including providing good food and health.

     Further, you likely know people who have complained that they don't know who to pray to: the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit. Some people are, because of one interpretation, so cowed by the majesty of the Father and the glory of the Son that they pray to Mary, who seems at once more connected to us and closer to God than we ever can be.

     And finally, you likely know people who expect God to keep order by rewarding good people and punishing evil people here on earth. They are confident in their belief that God is the ultimate judge, so they put absolution and condemnation in His hands.

     These notions about the Lord are not going to support a person's joy, feeling favored or having His presence. Perhaps you have had the experience of offering New Church ideas about the Lord to a person who is in spiritual pain, guilt or darkness , and then delighted in their experience of relief. The revelation of the second coming has spiritual rational truths that carry us through adolescence on to adulthood and to eternity. We can have a foundation of truths and goods that support every stage of our development, and every state of life, good and bad.

     Jesus Christ is certainly a model of spirituality in life here. And our relationship with Him includes friendship as well a relationship of student and teacher, servant and master. That relationship will continue to develop as we come to understand how Jesus Christ glorified Himself and became the Divine Human, the one God of heaven and earth.

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This truth is eternal, and supports our adult relationship with Him.

     It is wonderful to continue to use the images of Father and Son and Holy Spirit. They make our God accessible to our natural man, tied as it is to natural images. When Jesus Christ glorified Himself He became one with the Divine itself. Our deeper rational mind is fed by an understanding of the unity of God. We have Him in mind as Divine - that than which nothing greater can be conceived. We are thus able to rationally appreciate the limits of our finite understanding. We even delight in coming to the edge of human cognition. And we love to wrestle with the implications of one view of this deep matter compared to another. Even in our present life, we have a sense that this development of understanding will go on forever, and we are delighted; or at least enjoy the anticipation of understanding better than we do now!

     A final notion at the core of our idea of God is the truth that God is love; only love; pure love. He is never angry. It is not His job to condemn. His love is constantly, and only, lifting us up. His spirit has only care for our eternal welfare. A God as Love is the only notion that holds up under all paradigms and considerations. Having a loving God at the core of all our faith leads us to show unconditional love to all our neighbors while praying for enlightenment as how to best act out that love. This is opposite to the attitude that judges first and then seeks to love. The Lord doesn't work that way, and so it won't work for us.

     It is possible for us to have more joy than Mary ever did, even if our life is as full of anguish. It is possible for us to feel even more favored than Mary, even though she was the mother of the Messiah. And it is possible for us to feel the Lord's presence more deeply than Mary ever did, because He is present in a new way since she lived.

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     As we learn more and more about the Lord and practice over and over again being His servant, all the modern barriers to His presence are overcome. Our task is to examine ourselves, asking what it will take for us to get this. Some of us will have to work through addictions. Some must give up anger by forgiving without any reason or hope for reconciliation. Some of us will need to find a way to give up shame about the past, or give up anxiety about the future. Some of us will have grief about what we have done, and about what we have not done. Some will have to bear up under the burden of wounds that will never diminish while we live here. All of us will need to cope with loss of one kind or another.

     Through it all, our imagination and rational understanding of our Lord and God Jesus Christ cradling us in His arms, calling us by name, healing our brokenness, will give Him an opening to come to us and abide in our thoughts and desires. His presence will carry us past 7th grade, into an adult relationship and into a serenity that, although temporary or even fleeting, will give us a glimpse of His birth in us the way Mary experienced it, and the way the angels still experience it.

     Mary's life was full of joy even though it was marred by tragedy, because she felt herself being cared for by the Lord and had a confidence in His continuing presence. So let Mary be our model: "Behold the servant of the Lord. Let it be to me according to Your word." Amen

Lessons: Luke 1:26-38; Arcana Coelestia 8705

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REVELATION 2009

REVELATION       Rev. ANDREW M. T. DIBB       2009


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     Part 3 Conclusion

The Lawyers

     In the TV series, Law and Order the focus shifts at about mid-point of the show from the detectives to the lawyers. This is the "order" part of the show, when order is restored after a crime has disrupted the fabric of society. The lawyers, seen from the point of view of the prosecuting District Attorney, have the job of taking the evidence, or proof, discovered by the detectives and use it to bring the criminal to justice. Often the show zeroes in on some aspect of the law which is pertinent in that particular case. Since Law and Order is formulaic, the steps taken to secure a judgment follow a regular pattern. First the lawyers need to determine where and how the crime fits into the law and if necessary the Constitution. Then the evidence is laid bare in a court room. Finally the jury decides the guilt or innocence of the accused and judgment is passed.

     Just as detective work forms a vital thread in the judgment on the Christian Church in the book of Revelation, so the time comes when the actions represented by lawyers need to be brought forward if the judgment is to be completed. This change in emphasis comes in Chapter Fifteen of Revelation. Up to this point, the work has been the "exploration and manifestation" of the beliefs of the Church, but Chapter Fifteen, we are told is "the preparation for disclosing the last state of the Church and laying open the evils and falsities in which they are" (Apocalypse Revealed 655). This is the courtroom battle with the prosecutors laying the evidence before the judge.

     Chapter Fifteen and Sixteen contain many of the images "last times" preachers use to scare people into faith.

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John "saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is consummated the anger of God" (Rev. 15:1). As John watched, the angels prepared to pour these seven plagues onto the earth. This preparation took the form of praising the Lord:

     Great and marvelous are Thy works, O Lord God Almighty;
     Just and true are Thy ways, O King of saints.
     Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord;
     And glorify Thy name,
     For Thou alone art Holy; therefore all nations shall
          come and shall adore before Thee;
     Because Thy judgments are made manifest.
                                   (Rev. 15:3, 4)

     There is a wonderful parallel to this in the sequence of bringing a worldly crime to justice: having examined the evidence laid before them by the detectives, the lawyers refer to the law itself for guidance on how to prosecute the case. The law defines the crime, and the law determines the path the prosecution should follow. Natural law is merely a parallel of the Divine Law of the Lord Himself.

     It makes sense then, that before the seven angels pour out the vials upon the earth, they are clothed in "linen clean and bright, and girded about the breasts with golden girdles" (Rev. 15:6). This dresses them in the same clothes as the Lord Himself when He appeared in the midst of the seven golden lamp stands in Chapter One. This opening image of the Lord is the Lord as the Word, as the Law, which is an absolute against which all human actions must be judged. In this opening image the Lord wears "a garment down to the foot and girded about the breast with a golden girdle." The garment represents Divine truth, in this case, the Word itself (Apocalypse Revealed 45). The golden girdle represents the bond of love which holds all truths together (Apocalypse Revealed 46).

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Thus we see a picture of the Divine Law as the source of all truth, and therefore of all judgment, but judgment qualified by love. In the TV show, the lawyers spend time strategizing their case. A crime is only a crime if a law has been broken, and so they need to examine the evidence in the light of the law. They also need to refer to the Constitution to ensure that the rights of both the criminal and victim are being properly protected. This preparation is crucial to the prosecution of the crime. The seven angels in Chapter Fifteen, who are going to do the final work of revealing the state of the Christian Church, go through a similar process: their power comes from the Lord in His Word, just as the prosecuting attorneys in a court of natural law have their power from the Constitution and legal codes. This is why, before the angels can pour out their vials, they are first dressed in linen clean and bright and girded with a golden girdle, so that they become, in fact, embodiments of the Lord Himself. The act of dressing in the linen garments can be compared to natural lawyers finding and noting the various parts of the legal code which the accused has violated. Their garments of linen are the truths of the law that make true judgment possible.

     Finally, in Chapter Sixteen the evidence of the crime is laid bare. All the exploration and manifestation done in the earlier chapters is drawn together. The Apocalypse Revealed expresses this moment in simple, dry terms that belie the actual drama of the event: "in this chapter the evils and falsities in the church of the Reformed are disclosed by influx out of heaven" (Apocalypse Revealed 675). This "influx from heaven" is the presentation of truth against which the Reformed Church was to be judged. It is the equivalent of the outlining of the legal code to show and demonstrate why the actions of the criminal constitute a crime. In Revelation, this influx is described as bowls being poured out upon the earth, one after another until the state of the Church is completely revealed.

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     The spiritual "court case" against the Protestant Church followed an orderly process. As the first bowl is poured out, the crimes of those most responsible for the state of the church are fully revealed. These are the clergy, the professors of Theology, the doctors and pastors, and their evils are laid bare (Apocalypse Revealed 677). The second bowl draws in the accessories after the fact, the laity who consented to and benefited from the falsity taught by the clergy. These were the people who embraced the teachings of faith alone because it allowed them to live as they please. Even though they did not formulate the falsity, they consented to it (Apocalypse Revealed 680).

     Having identified the culprits, and accused them of their crimes, the court case continues in an orderly fashion. First the exact nature of the crime is revealed: when the third bowl is poured out on the earth, rivers of water are turned to blood. This represents how the Protestant Church took a single teaching, that faith alone saves, and used it to profane the entire Word (Apocalypse Revealed 684). When the fourth and fifth bowls were poured out, the results of this profanation were made abundantly clear: the people could not endure the presence of the Lord because they denied His teaching and therefore did not remove evils and falsities from their lives. When the Lord approaches people who are in a state of evil, their reaction to His presence is one of torment. The result, described as the fifth bowl, is darkness and a continued refusal to repent. As the sixth bowl is poured out, the court is shown that the Christian Church, at heart, denied God completely.

     And so the work done by the detectives is laid open for all to see by the lawyers. All that remained for the Christian Church to be fully judged was for the Roman Catholic Church to go through a similar process, and for judgment on all who lived between the time of the Lord and the Last Judgment to complete the process.

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     The judgment on the Roman Catholic Church is remarkably quick, compared to the process the Protestants went through. This is because the Catholics never truly had the Word, so they did not truly abuse it as the Protestants had done. Certainly, Catholic doctrine was founded on the Word, represented by the beast ridden by the Harlot of Babylon (Apocalypse Revealed 723). The Roman Catholic Church, however, was more motivated by love than by truth, with their primary loves being the love of power and wealth. Everything in the Word was subverted to those great loves. As in the Protestant Church there were those who were primary or secondary perpetrators, the clergy and laity, and their crimes had to be laid bare. But compared to the Protestant Church, the process was swift, taking up only two chapters in the book of Revelation.

Judgment

     So the courtroom drama of the last judgment draws to its end. The writing on the wall of King Belshazzar's palace comes to mind at this point: Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin: you have been weighed in the balances and found wanting. Judgment is a process of weighing: motives and actions as they are versus what they could have been. The Christian Church could have come to a true understanding of the Lord; it could have enshrined repentance as a central tenet of faith and life. It could have become a beacon of true charity for the world. Instead, over the centuries the Church chose other paths: they chose to misinterpret the Lord, to jettison repentance in favor of penance and faith alone. Finally they settled for spiritual darkness. They were weighed in the balances at the last judgment and found wanting.

     In a modern courtroom, the judge presides over the trial. His job is to uphold the law, to ensure that due process takes place, and to confirm the verdict of the jury. Finally, he pronounces the judgment and metes out the penalty.

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A judge is, therefore, an embodiment of the law. In Revelation, the judge is, of course, the Lord Himself. He is the law, as we saw earlier, and so is the only one able to pass final judgment. Every image one sees of the Lord in the book of Revelation shows some aspect of this great use.

     This is no less true of the image of the Lord in Chapter Nineteen. First all of heaven glorifies and adores Him, and then, as an image of active truth, the Lord appears, riding on a white horse with all the armies of heaven following behind Him. This is a picture of victorious truth, truth that has been stripped of falsity, emptied of false affection and set free to ride forth and conquer. It is, in a worldly context, a vision of the power of the law, upheld, venerated and given the power not only to judge but to incarcerate criminals. That power, properly used, brings order to the court by pronouncing the guilt of the criminal. We see this step in the final section of Chapter Nineteen: "and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet ... these two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were slain by the Word of Him that sat upon the horse..." (vs. 20). Frightening as this image may seem in the literal sense of the Word, it nevertheless sums up the judgment: the beast is the laity of the Protestant Church and the false prophet the clergy, together they have been examined, their falsity and evil exposed, and now they are cast into the lake of fire.

     It is not uncommon for judges, when they pronounce their judgment, to comment on the crime and the law. Often a crime is an expression of some deeper social malaise, or personal issue that drove the criminal to commit the crime. Seeing the underlying causes for what they are is an essential part of the healing process, for by demonstrating how false reasoning or twisted motivations can lead to tragic events, helps to bring a new perspective to the crime, and to fit it into its context.

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The Lord, as the heavenly judge makes similar comment. In Revelation, the beast and false prophet describe the people of the Protestant Church, and the judgment on their beliefs and consequent life was just. But behind those people were the beliefs themselves: the doctrine of faith alone that mislead so many people down the ages. This is the great seven headed, ten horned red dragon that has been examined and exposed for what it truly is. The falsity represented by this dragon is what the Lord "commented" on in Chapter Twenty, when an angel "having the key of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand [took] hold on the dragon, that old serpent... and bound him up a thousand years; and cast him into the abyss and shut him up, and set a seal upon him."

     If crime is every going to be defeated, people must know its cause and effect. They same principle holds true for the crime of the Christian Church. The information about faith alone that was explored and exposed by the "detectives" and measured against the law by the "lawyers" must be shown for what it is, for this is the only way that it will lose its power against people. Like the dragon, the false teachings need to be bound with a chain and thrown into the abyss so that people, in knowing the truth, may live free from the tyranny of falsity.

     The purpose of crime resolution is to restore order to society. Crime rips the fabric of society; it introduces the destructive elements of fear and uncertainty. People who live in crime infested areas where criminals are not brought to justice know this only too well. They live in fear that they may be the next victim, and when people have no recourse against criminals, crime holds them in bondage not unlike slavery. They are only set free when the criminals are brought to justice and order is restored.

     This same principle held true for the Christian Church at the time of the last judgment. Before the judgment people were held in bondage by the Church.

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The dragon of faith alone so captivated the minds of people, clergy and laity alike, that it was impossible for them to think outside its paradigm. The falsity prevented them from seeing the truths in some very elemental concepts, like human freedom, both spiritual and natural. However, once that bond was broken, new life flowed into the world. We can compare this to the freedom a community feels when criminals are removed from their midst and order is restored.

     The end of the book of Revelation speaks about this state of peace. John wrote, "and I saw a New Heaven and a New Earth, for the former heaven and former earth were passed away; and the sea was no more" (Rev. 21:1). The New Heaven and Earth are this new state, when truth has been restored and people can once again think clearly in its light. Every detail of the Holy City descending from God describes this new state, how people in it will be conjoined to the Lord with bonds of intelligence and wisdom. This is a far different state from what had gone before. It is truly one of peace in which "God shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither mourning nor crying, neither shall there be labor (trouble) any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev. 21:4).

Conclusion

     At first glance it may seem strange to compare a book of the Word with a television show, but the parallels are strongly there. As a show, Law and Order works because it is so carefully based on the actual system of crime investigation and justice in the natural world. Many of the stories are drawn from real events (despite protestations that this is not so). Careful reading of the Apocalypse Revealed shows that the book of Revelation follows much the same process. The skeleton of Revelation and Law and Order are roughly the same.

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     This should not, however, be too much of a surprise: the natural world is a realm of effects. True causes happen in the spiritual world and are reflected in the natural world. Judgments are almost as old as time, the first "last judgment" being the flood when the Most Ancient Church was weighed in the balances and found wanting. The process of judgment was introduced into the spiritual world at that time, and so came to influence the process of judgment in the natural world. The last judgment of 1757 introduced a completely new order to the spiritual world, and it is no surprise that this order would not be reflected in the developments of the judicial system in the natural world. Gone are the trial by ordeal of the Middle Ages, modern justice rests on sound detective work and an adherence to legal principle unknown in the past. One of the effects of the last judgment has been to bring the principles of spiritual justice into the world.

     Reading Revelation is still a challenge, but in the light of the Heavenly Doctrine, it begins to make sense. The jumble of visions is not really a jumble at all, but a carefully presented description of a sequence of events that it is only too familiar with us.

Conclusion from parts 1 and 2, in October and November 2009 issues of New Church Life.

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EXPECTING THE ADVENT: THE LONGEST TRADITION. 2009

EXPECTING THE ADVENT: THE LONGEST TRADITION.       Editor       2009


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     Which human tradition has lasted longest? Well, how about untold millennia? One proverb, carried over into the Ancient Church from the Most Ancient Church, thus across the divide of the Flood, involves the expectation of the Advent of the Lord on earth. Noah's Flood was the first step or "stage" in the Lord's Advent, for He began to come thousands of years before He actually came. The Lord foresaw His Advent in the prophecy of the Serpent: "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall trample upon thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel" (Genesis 3:15). Because of that prophecy, and because the Flood was the "judgment" of the Most Ancient Church, therefore the Lord "would have come right after the flood" (Arcana Coelestia 2523). Christmas would have come early! How early? Certainly before the Sphinx, thus more than 12000 years ago.'

     However, the Lord "foresaw" that the Hebrew people, in their own freedom, would volunteer by their own living history to represent exactly how His Advent would be accomplished. He thus foresaw a later fulfillment of the same final event. Abram, Isaac, Jacob, etc., were thus guided under a "special providence" (Arcana Coelestia 5291.7, 6025) so that the actual events of their lives in their "internal sense" could explicitly express the details of "the Lord's life in the world as it was going to be." The Divinely inspired Old Testament record of a selection of these events then became as "present realities to the angels" (Arcana Coelestia 2523). Thus to the angels, who were suffering from invasions by the hells, the Advent was "already accomplished" (Ibid.). The Advent was thus staved off until the "fullness of time" (Canons 41).

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     It is easier to postpone the Advent if there is common saying to preserve the hope for its eventuality. And one of the "inmost truths" (Apocalypse Explained 948.3) among the Most Ancient people before the Flood was that God would come into the world by being born as a child. God would come on earth and conquer all the evils which human beings had ever invented. Imagine this as a "common saying"! At special gatherings, perhaps at family worship or while talking at mealtimes, they would say "The seed of the woman will trample the head of the serpent." All the most ancients were monogamously married, and so this saying carried along with it loving your spouse for the sake of the offspring. They made it easier for God to come by having lots of children! How lovely is it for husband and wife to love each other and have progeny, while the Advent of the Creator through birth of a woman, is also the expectation? A couple might think and say, "Darling, do you think this will be the One?" Therefore, "from that time the greatest delight of their life was to procreate offspring; so that their sweetest deliciousnesses," - Elliott has it "pleasures most delightful, and the delights most pleasurable," were "to love their consort for the sake of offspring" (Arcana Coelestia 1123). This directs our thought to Mary and her betrothed husband Joseph, who religiously followed the Lord's order, by which this long expected Advent finally took place.

     The Advent was thus expected for far longer than it has been celebrated. We can repeat that old saying today, filled with the self-evident truths about it now revealed in the Writings, mustered into the same words: "The Seed of woman will tread down the head of the serpent." Now we can put it in the past tense: "He has trampled the serpent's head." The Lord was born by virgin birth from Mary, from whom the infant Jesus inherited a perfect set of hereditary tendencies to evils of every kind, just as you and I do.

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Through these evil prompts to harm others for no good reason, the serpent's head accessed the weak "heel" that it bruised, i.e. the hells assaulted the Lord as to the "Son of Man." They attacked with "the most malignant wiles and venom" (Arcana Coelestia 1820), in temptations which are "a thousand-fold more grievous than any man can ever endure" (Arcana Coelestia 1573). Now a thousand times more painful than our temptations, is still a finite limit. The Lord was tempted to as great an extent as He had love for the human race (Arcana Coelestia 1690e). His love was indeed Infinite and Divine, which can never be assaulted, let alone approached. However, this love was present in a created receptacle. Thus the Infinity of that love was limited by its presence as "among the celestial angels." The Lord had "put o the celestial sovereignty" (Arcana Coelestia 6371) when descending to conception in Mary. Thus God's Infinite Love was qualified by His presence received by angels. It was not an infinite love tempted by infinite evil, but the infinite love present on the finite level of the highest possible angels, tempted by finite humanly invented evil. Nonetheless, through these life-long temptations, and finally on the cross and even from the angels themselves (Arcana Coelestia 4295.2, 3), the maternal forms of the material body were "exterminated, extirpated" and "divine forms received in their place" (Arcana Coelestia 6872). This was meant by the butler and the baker's fates in Joseph's dream (Arcana Coelestia 5077).

     Do we see how the Advent brought about the Risen Lord as the Divine Human, to whom we now pray "Our Father who art in the heavens"? Thus the risen Lord Jesus Christ is now completely Divine, and totally without maternal remainder. Forthe Lord "cast off that which He had derived from the mother, until ultimately He was no longer her son but the Son of God not only in conception but also in birth" (Arcana Coelestia 2649.2). We must think of the Lord after His Resurrection, as no longer "born" of Mary! He is now the Divine embodiment of Jehovah, both conceived and born of Him.

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Not a shred of Mary is left in Him. Today, Maria or Maryam as she was probably called on earth, as an angel in heaven can recall her earthly role, but she is just an ordinary angel who worships the Lord as her God (Continuation of the Last Judgment 66).

     The longest expectation is fulfilled. The "seed of the woman" has trampled "the head of the serpent." Once He conquered the hells, He now conquers them for us, in our temptations, forever (Arcana Coelestia 9718, 9715, 8273). He leads us personally, no longer "through heaven," as before the Advent, but now out of or "from heaven" (Divine Providence 162). Now "from the Divine itself and the Divine Human through the Holy that proceeds from these, [the Lord] governs the universe" (Arcana Coelestia 2288).

     1 The Sphinx with an original lion's face was constructed ca. 10500 b.c. when the precession of the equinoxes, a 25,800 year mutation cycle, changes astrological sign every 2160 years. When built it faced Leo, the sign of the king. http://www.aloha.net/~johnboy/Preces.htg/precession.htm. Today it faces Aquarius.

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DIRECTORYGENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM2009-2010 2009

DIRECTORYGENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM2009-2010              2009


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     Officials

     Bishop: Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline
     Assistant Bishop: Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith
     Secretary: Alaine F. York

     GENERAL CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM

     (A Corporation of Pennsylvania)
     Officers of the Corporation

     President: Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline
     Vice President: Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith
     Secretary: Nancy L. Heilman, Esq.
     Executive Director: David O. Frazier

     BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION

     Gregory L. Baker, Scott W. Brickman, Hugh R. Brown, Shaun N. Buss, Charles H. Ebert, Mark O. Elder, Frederick A. Fiedler, Charlotte Gyllenhaal, Nancy L. Heilman, Robert L. Heinrichs, Steven D. Hendricks, Bradley H. Johns, Dain Kistner, Fay S. Lindrooth, Alexander H. Lindsay, Jr., Stephen A. McDonald, Nathan J. Morley, Brooke Glenn Mullin, Ronald K. Nelson, Timothy V. O'Connor, Bryon Odhner, Linda S. Odhner, Dean C. Pitcairn, Jason V. Reuter, Matthew A. Smith, Karen Day Stoeller, Arthur E. Uber, III, John H. Wyncoll, and Thayer L. York

     Ex-officio Members: Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline
                    Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith
                    Mr. David O. Frazier


     SOCIETIES AND CIRCLES

     Society                              Pastor or Minister

Alexandra, Johannesburg South Africa     Rev. Langalibalele A. Xaba

Atlanta, Georgia                     Rev. Patrick A. Rose

Baltimore, Maryland                Rev. Michael E. Ferrell

Bath, Maine                         Rev. George F. Dole

Boulder, Colorado                    Rev. David C. Roth
     (New Church of Boulder Valley)

Boston, Massachusetts                Rev. Matthew L. Genzlinger

Boynton Beach, Florida                Rev. Kenneth J. Alden

Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania          Rev. Jeremy F. Simons
                              Rev. Philip B. Schnarr, School Pastor
                              Rev. James H. Barry, Assistant to the pastor
                              Rev. Glenn M. Frazier, Assistant to the Pastor
                              Rev. John L. Odhner, Assistant to the Pastor
                              

Buccleuch, Johannesburg South Africa     Rev. Christopher D. Bown

Campo Gorande, Brazil                Rev. Andrew J. Heilman, Visiting Pastor

Central Pennsylvania                Rev. Robert S. Junge, Visiting Pastor

Chicago, Illinois                    Rev. Robert H. P. Cole, Visiting Pastor

Cincinnati, Ohio                    Rev. J. Clark Echols

Clermont, Durban South Africa           Rev. Jerome Bhekiyuse Dube

Colchester, England               Rev. Olaf Hauptmann

Dawson Creek, B. C., Canada           Rev. James P. Cooper, Regional Pastor

Detroit, Michigan                    Rev. Derek P. Elphick
     (Oak Arbor Church)           Rev. Nathan D. Gladish, Assistant Pastor

Diepkloof, Soweto South Africa     Rev. Jacob M. Maseko

Freeport, Pennsylvania                Rev. Frederick M. Chapin

Glenview, Illinois               Rev. Peter M. Buss, Jr.
                              Rev. Mark D. Pendleton, Assistant Pastor
                              Rev. Mark Allais, Assistant to the Pastor

Hurstville, Australia               No Pastor Assigned

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Impaphala, South Africa           Rev. B. Alfred Mbatha

Ivyland, Pennsylvania                Rev. Thomas H. Rose

Kempton, Pennsylvania               Rev. Lawson M. Smith
                              Rev. Andrew J. Heilman, Assistant Pastor
                              Rev. Arne Bau-Madsen, Associate Pastor

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada          Rev. Bradley D. Heinrichs
     (Carmel Church)               Rev. Nathan F. Cole, Assistant to the Pastor

Kwa Mashu, Durban South Africa     Rev. Bongani Edward Nzimande

La Crescenta, California          Rev. Michael K. Cowley, Visiting Pastor
     (Los Angeles)

London, England                    Rev. Alan Lewin
     (Michael Church)

Phoenix, Arizona                     Rev. Garry B. Walsh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania          Rev. R. Amos Glenn
                              Rev. Robert A. Cooper, Assistant to the Pastor

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil               Rev. Andrew J. Heilman, Visiting Pastor
                              Rev. Johny A. Z. Villanueva, Assistant to the Pastor                         Rev. Mauro S. de Padua, Assistant to Visiting Pastor                         

San Diego, California                Rev. C. Mark Perry

Stockholm, Sweden                Rev. Goran R. Appelgren

Toronto, Ontario, Canada          Rev. James P. Cooper
     (Olivet Church)               Rev. Coleman S. Glenn, Assistant to the Pastor

Tucson, Arizona                     Rev. Glenn G. Alden

Washington, D. C.                    Rev. Michael D. Gladish
                              Rev. Michael E. Ferrell, Assistant to the Pastor

Westville, Durban, South Africa     Rev. Erik J. Buss
                              Rev. Derrick A. M. Lumsden, Assistant to the Pastor

     Circle                    Visiting and/or Resident Pastor or Minister

Albuquerque, New Mexico           Rev. Garry B. Walsh
Auckland, New Zealand                Rev. Richard Keyworth
Balfour, South Africa                Rev. N. Reuben Tshabalala
Cape Town, South Africa           Rev. Christopher D. Bown
Charlotte, North Carolina           Rev. Prescott A. Rogers
Connecticut                         Rev. Louis D. Synnestvedt
Copenhagen, Denmark                Rev. Ragnar Boyesen
Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas           Rev. Patrick A. Rose
Erie, Pennsylvania               Rev. Frederick M. Chapin
The Hague, Netherlands               Rev. Frederick C. Elphick
Hambrook, South Africa               Rev. B. Edward Nzimande

536



Harleysville, Pennsylvania          Rev. George C. McCurdy
Jonkoping, Sweden                    Rev. Goran R. Appelgren
Lake Helen, Florida               Rev. George C. McCurdy
Madina, Ghana                     Rev. S. Kwasi Darkwah
New York City/Northern New Jersey     Rev. Grant H. Odhner
Palo Alto, California               Rev. Louis D. Synnestvedt
Perth, Australia
Philadelphia New Church (Korean)     Rev. Yong J. Jin
St. Paul/Minneapolis,
Minnesota (Twin Cities)          Rev. Frank S. Rose
Seattle, Washington               Rev. Ethan D. McCardell
Surrey, England                    Rev. Alan Lewin
Tema, Ghana                         Rev. S. Dwasi Darkwah

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ORDINATIONS 2009

ORDINATIONS              2009


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     Announcements
     Xaba, Langalibalele (Phila) Abraham-At Alexandra, South Africa, August 9, 2009, into the Second Degree, Rt. Rev. Thomas L. Kline officiating.
CORRECTIONS 2009

CORRECTIONS              2009

     ORDINATIONS

     Abuga, Samson Mogusu-At Etora, Kisii, Kenya, June 20, 2009, into the Second Degree, Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith officiating.

     Rangi, Khalid Obiri-At Riounde, Kisii, Kenya, June 27, 2009, into the Second Degree, Rt. Rev. Brian W. Keith officiating.